Fighting Bees

As Klay Thompson comes off a flare screen from Kevon Looney, rookie Brandin Podziemski delivers a bounce pass at the block to Jonathan Kuminga to run their patented split-action. Podziemski sets another screen at the wing and Kuminga delivers a pass right on the money to a curling Thompson. He sets his feet, lets one defender chasing him fly by and shoots a three right over the help defender.
Splash. Nothing but the bottom of the net, just like the old days. The Warriors are comfortably up after the third quarter against the Utah Jazz after Thompson hits his third-straight three and score his 35th point as he came off the bench for the first time since 2012. Although the Jazz had a big fourth quarter to keep the game close, the Warriors eked out with a win to continue playing their best basketball of the season.
The Warriors are fun again, so it seems.
After a tumultuous season filled with ups and downs, the Dubs are 8-2 over their last 10 games right before the All-Star break and preparing for another playoff push with their aging dynastic core.
What makes their run so special is the fact that they rediscovered a winning formula despite making zero moves at the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 8. Rumors were swirling, but they decided to stick with this group for the rest of the season &ndash; and possibly for seasons to come.
&ldquo;We did win a championship, in case people forgot, a year and a half ago,&rdquo; said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr when asked if he believes this isn't the last dance for the Warriors' Big Three. &ldquo;I believe in my guys, I love those guys, and we're going to keep fighting."&nbsp;
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"We did win a championship, in case people forgot, a year and a half ago...I believe in my guys, I love those guys, and we're going to keep fighting." - Steve Kerr when asked if he still believes this season is not a "Last Dance" for the Warriors' Big 3 (via <a href="https://twitter.com/WillardAndDibs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WillardAndDibs</a>). <a href="https://t.co/0x1cmOmyqf">pic.twitter.com/0x1cmOmyqf</a>
&mdash; 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) <a href="https://twitter.com/957thegame/status/1747438806557712848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
Despite a seemingly lost season, the Warriors took a gamble by choosing to stand pat and stick with the core that won them a title two seasons ago, while trusting this new set of role players to fill in the gaps.&nbsp;
The championship core from two years ago is still intact. Steph Curry is still an all-world talent and offensive force even at 35 years old. Draymond Green is back to his usual self. Since returning from his suspension, Green&rsquo;s aggressiveness on offense and ever-reliant ability on defense have energized the team.&nbsp;
Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney started the season with bad slumps, but are slowly getting back into their groove, while Gary Payton II continues to work his way back to being 100% healthy. Thompson has struggled as of late, but he can still be lethal scoring in spurts with just his mere shooting prowess.
The young guys are coming into their own as contributors and finding their identity within the team. Podziemski has been a revelation, serving as a connector on offense and earning Steve Kerr&rsquo;s trust to start games and play with the closing lineup over Thompson. Kuminga is developing into a capable scoring option, which gives the Warriors another dimension.
Lately, the Warriors look like themselves again. Their in-game swagger is back and the vibes are immaculate. These are the Warriors of old, winning while having fun.
Given their recent success, they are confident that they still have at least one more run in them.
&ldquo;This is a story that&rsquo;s still kind of unfolding, and it&rsquo;s important that we see it all the way through until it&rsquo;s proven that we can&rsquo;t win,&rdquo; Curry said in <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nba/2024/2/12/24070258/golden-state-warriors-steph-curry-steve-kerr-draymond-green-klay-thompson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an interview with The Ringer&rsquo;s Logan Murdock.</a>
The Warriors are determined to win, and they want to do it their way. And perhaps that&rsquo;s the point.
This team was built from the ground up, with a collective effort from a group of players who were drafted and developed by the franchise. After all, it was the &ldquo;Strength in Numbers&rdquo; mantra that started it all, and it's only fitting to end their journey the same way they started: with a team that was built the right way.
The Warriors have won four championships in the last decade by using this formula, and they believe this same approach will lead them to another Larry O'Brien trophy. After doing it all these years, Thompson believes that they have what it takes to succeed once again by trusting their process.
&ldquo;You see Steph Curry, you see Draymond Green, you see our playoff record when we are together,&rdquo; Thompson proclaimed. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll always believe.&rdquo;

The Warriors are 8-2 over their last 10 games and preparing for another playoff push with their aging dynastic core.

Strength in numbers: The Golden State Warriors' way

Spencer Davies recaps Donovan Mitchell's introductory press conference in downtown Cleveland with the Cavaliers.

Donovan Mitchell ecstatic to bring experience to young, 'fun' Cavaliers

Alex Kennedy goes 1-on-1 with Tyrese Haliburton, who opens up about getting traded, the Pacers' future, his offseason training, etc.

Tyrese Haliburton won’t let trade 'resentment' define new Pacers era

The NBA playoffs are fast approaching and as the season winds down, there are a total of 21 teams fighting for 16 playoff spots across the two conferences.
Every game matters.
Injuries have had a major impact on this season. In the Western Conference, a number of potential playoff teams are missing key pieces, including the Golden State Warriors (Stephen Curry and James Wiseman), Denver Nuggets (Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr.), Los Angeles Clippers (Kawhi Leonard and Paul George), Memphis Grizzlies (Ja Morant), Los Angeles Lakers (Anthony Davis), New Orleans Pelicans (Zion Williamson) and Portland Trail Blazers (Damian Lillard).
There are fewer injured stars in the Eastern Conference, but Jarrett Allen (CLE), Ben Simmons (BKN), Lonzo Ball (CHI), Gordon Hayward (CHA) and Colin Sexton (CLE) are currently sidelined.
Between now and the start of the playoffs on April 12, some important players are expected to return to their respective teams, which could alter the NBA landscape in a major way.
<h2>WESTERN CONFERENCE</h2>
DENVER NUGGETS
On March 15, the Nuggets assigned Jamal Murray to their G-League affiliate (the Grand Rapids Gold) to get some additional work at practice. This sent waves through social media, as fans anticipated Murray's long-awaited return to the Nuggets' lineup. However, just a few days later, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said that Murray is "not close" to suiting up.
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Denver Nuggets HC Michael Malone says Jamal Murray is "not close" to rejoining the lineup, per <a href="https://twitter.com/HarrisonWind?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HarrisonWind</a> <a href="https://t.co/7leLWbJe5W">pic.twitter.com/7leLWbJe5W</a>
&mdash; Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1505676501303320576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2022</a></blockquote>

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It seems unlikely that Murray will be able to play during the regular season, but perhaps he'll be able to return at some point during the postseason.
Michael Porter Jr. is also on the mend, but the reports about his availability have been all over the place. There were rumblings that his rehab didn't go great and that he was further away than Murray. Then, there was a rumor that he's <a href="https://theathletic.com/3198516/2022/03/21/nuggets-hopeful-jamal-murray-and-michael-porter-jr-could-be-back-by-playoffs-but-no-immediate-return-on-the-horizon/?source=nbatw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">due back very soon</a>.

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A little over a week ago, Malone was asked about the possibility of Murray and Porter returning, and he <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/malone-michael-porter-jr-and-jamal-murrays-wont-be-back-soon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, "There is no immediate return on the horizon for either one of those players."
Denver is currently the sixth seed in the Western Conference, trying to stave off the Minnesota Timberwolves and avoid the Play-In Tournament.&nbsp;
Nikola Jokic has played at an MVP level (again) and the absence of these two stars has allowed for Bones Hyland to emerge as a legitimate rotation player as a rookie. Adding even one of these two players back into the fold would make the Nuggets a significantly more threatening first-round opponent for the Grizzlies, Warriors or Mavericks.&nbsp;
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NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
Since the acquisition of CJ McCollum on February 8, the New Orleans Pelicans rank No. 10 in offensive rating and No. 6 in net rating. While the Pelicans won't be getting All-Star power forward Zion Williamson back at any point this season, they did just have another impact player return to their lineup.
Larry Nance Jr. was acquired as part of the McCollum trade and he made his Pelicans debut a few days ago. The 29-year-old is a seamless fit on the offensive end and he'll give New Orleans some defensive versatility.
Even though we all wanted to see how this team would look with a healthy Zion, they have a solid core with McCollum, Brandon Ingram, Jonas Valanciunas, Herb Jones, Devonte' Graham, Nance and Co. &mdash; making them a scary opponent in the Play-In Tournament.

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New Orleans likely won't catch the Clippers for the eighth seed, but they could steal homecourt advantage in the 9-10 game against the Lakers, as they are currently a half game behind L.A.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
With LeBron James on roster, there always seems to be this lingering feeling that the Lakers will catch their stride and figure this thing out. But without Anthony Davis, it seems unlikely that Los Angeles will be able to escape the Play-In Tournament.
There has been no official word on a potential return date for Davis, but the Lakers would need him available if they hope to play beyond April 12.
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Anthony Davis continues to do on-court shooting, per Frank Vogel, and is progressing each day: &ldquo;Anthony has had a good week &hellip; He&rsquo;s had a productive week.&rdquo;
&mdash; Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) <a href="https://twitter.com/LakersReporter/status/1504943043669106699?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The presence of Davis would inject a tiny sliver of hope that he and James could will this team to victory and into a revenge series against the Phoenix Suns in the first round.
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
Stephen Curry is expected to be out until mid-April at the earliest, which is a huge blow to the Warriors. Fortunately, Curry has <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/breakingnews/warriors-curry-expects-to-return-by-start-of-playoffs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that he should be back in time for the first game of the playoffs.
The team has reintroduced Klay Thompson back into the fold, and Draymond Green is back in the lineup too. While Golden State's star-studded trio has only played three games together this season, at least the Warriors should have all three vets together for the postseason (barring any setbacks or new injuries).
Unfortunately, Golden State won't be at full strength, as James Wiseman was recently <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/warriors-james-wiseman-ruled-out-for-remainder-of-the-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruled out</a> for the remainder of this season. The sophomore is still recovering from a torn meniscus that he suffered last April. Wiseman's size and versatility would have helped the Warriors, especially when facing the likes of Nikola Jokic, Rudy Gobert and Jaren Jackson Jr.
Golden State has been struggling without Curry, dropping four of their last five games (including surprising losses to the Orlando Magic, San Antonio Spurs and Atlanta Hawks). Golden State surrendered the No. 2 seed to the Memphis Grizzlies, and the Warriors could slip to fourth in the Western Conference, leading to a potential second-round matchup against Phoenix (instead of Memphis or Utah).&nbsp;
Still, assuming the Warriors have their Big Three, they will be dangerous in the playoffs.
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
Recently, Clippers head coach Ty Lue was asked about Kawhi Leonard and Paul George potentially returning prior to the playoffs, and he didn't shoot down the possibility.
"If guys are able to [return], they are gonna do it," Lue said. "But the most important part is making the sure the players are taken care of and making sure they're ready to go and fully healthy."
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Ty Lue says he&rsquo;ll keep the door open on Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and/or Norman Powell returning if it&rsquo;s less than a week until the playoffs. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Clippers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Clippers</a> <a href="https://t.co/iebGp2sRcp">pic.twitter.com/iebGp2sRcp</a>
&mdash; Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1505958728125739011?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Leonard has been sidelined since last postseason, and Clippers fans have been holding out hope for a late-season comeback. ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33579571/nba-playoffs-injury-updates-steph-curry-zion-williamson-anthony-davis-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a> that Leonard may be able to return if the Clippers make it out of the Play-In Tournament.
George has been sidelined due to a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, and there is no timetable for his return. Recently, he has <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33579571/nba-playoffs-injury-updates-steph-curry-zion-williamson-anthony-davis-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> made progress and been cleared for 4-on-4 and shooting drills, so a return still seems possible.&nbsp;
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<h2>EASTERN CONFERENCE</h2>
CHICAGO BULLS
The Bulls skyrocketed to the top of the East standings early in the season thanks to a supernova DeMar DeRozan and stellar defense. Two key cogs of that defense were Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso, who have played just 35 and 36 games, respectively. Chicago also played most of the season without forward Patrick Williams, who's another important rotation player.&nbsp;
The absence of those two elite perimeter defenders caused the Bulls to slip to the East's five seed, and they are just one game ahead of the sixth-seeded Toronto Raptors.&nbsp;
Caruso returned on March 12 and Williams returned on March 21. But if Ball is able to return to the starting lineup, that could significantly affect the outcome of a series against the Celtics or 76ers.
However, here's the bad news:
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Lonzo Ball will stop running on his knee for the next 10 days, per Billy Donovan. They&rsquo;ve been trying to ramp him up but he hasn&rsquo;t responded well
&mdash; Jamal Collier (@JamalCollier) <a href="https://twitter.com/JamalCollier/status/1506033717608865798?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Ball may not be needed for Chicago to avoid the Play-In Tournament, but his return is crucial in order for the Bulls to make a deep run in the playoffs.
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
Colin Sexton is not coming back this season. In fact, it's possible that he has played his final game as a Cavalier since he's set to become a restricted free agent.
However, one of the main reason that the Cavaliers have exceeded expectations this season is the play of Jarrett Allen. Ricky Rubio was also a key cog in the Cleveland machine, but his injury back in December led to the acquisition of Rajon Rondo... who is also currently out with an ankle injury.&nbsp;
Allen's presence defensively next to Evan Mobley is crucial to the success of the Cavs. Cleveland's opponents take the ninth-most shots at the rim in the league, but they shoot the worst percentage. Their perimeter defense funnels opponents to the rim because of the three 7-footers they have on the floor.&nbsp;
For Cleveland to pull off a first-round upset, Allen must be present and continuing his career-year.&nbsp;
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Unfortunately, injuries are a part of the game and oftentimes play a major factor in the postseason. This year is proving to be no different, as the field seems wide open due to injuries and the players who are returning could have a major impact on who is eventually crowned champion.
BROOKLYN NETS
After arriving in Brooklyn, Ben Simmons began ramping up his conditioning and preparing to make his season debut, but then his back started giving him trouble. Initially, it was being described as back soreness, but he was recently diagnosed with a herniated disc and he needed an epidural for the pain.
Nets head coach Steve Nash has said that surgery isn't currently being considered. Simmons is working with a physical therapist and trying to get healthy enough to make his Nets debut. Nash told reporters that he's "fully expecting" Simmons to play at some point this season.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33520712/brooklyn-nets-hold-hope-ben-simmons-return-couple-regular-season-games" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that Brooklyn hopes to have Simmons for a "couple" regular-season games so that he can start shaking off the rust and getting acclimated prior to the postseason.
Whenever he returns, the Defensive-Player-of-the-Year runner-up will provide a huge boost for the Nets. Last season, Simmons averaged 14.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.6 steals with the Philadelphia 76ers.
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Several NBA playoff teams are hoping to get back key contributors in time for the postseason. Justin Lewis examines these situations.

Examining 11 impact players whose return could alter NBA playoffs

After the Los Angeles Lakers were embarrassed by the Milwaukee Bucks at home on Tuesday night (before Los Angeles lost to a bad Portland Trail Blazers team missing half their roster), a reporter asked LeBron James how his squad stacks up against Milwaukee and the league's other elite teams.
LeBron gave a surprisingly candid response: "<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lakers-players-believe-changes-must-be-made-before-trade-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">We ain't on their level</a>."
When asked if he believed the Lakers could eventually reach the Bucks' level this season, <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nba/lebron-james-admits-lakers-are-not-on-championship-level#:~:text=After%20the%20game%2C%20LeBron%20James,a%20flat%2C%20%22No.%22" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James replied</a>, "Where they are right now? I don't know. Do I think we can reach the level where Milwaukee is right now? No. Is that what you want to hear from me? No. We can't get to where they are right now. They're the defending champions for a reason and I guarantee you if you would've asked teams coming out of the bubble if they could get to the level that we were playing at when we won a championship, they would've said the same thing."
Let's flashback to the championship group for a second, shall we?
It may seem like it's been 16 years or so since LeBron led LA to a title in the bubble, but, incredibly, it's been less than 16 months. The Lakers beat the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the Finals on Oct. 11, 2020. The team's two cornerstones, Anthony Davis and LeBron, remain, but the rest of the rotation has been turned over completely.&nbsp;
So, how did this team go from raising the Larry O'Brien trophy, to being four games under .500 and fighting for a spot in the play-in tournament just a year-and-a-half later?&nbsp;
Let's break it down.&nbsp;
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In the offseason following their championship, LA's major move was trading Danny Green (a significant two-way contributor on their title team) and LA's 2021 first-round pick (Jaden McDaniels) to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Dennis Schroder. That summer, LA re-signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (three years, $39 million) and used its cap space to ink free agent Montrezl Harrell to a two-year, $18.9 million contract. They also brought in Wesley Matthews and Markieff Morris for the veteran minimum and inked Marc Gasol to a two-year, $5.3 million deal.&nbsp;
In mid-March, in the days leading up to last season's trade deadline, the Lakers were cruising. More than halfway through the 2020-21 campaign, the Lakers' were 15 games above .500 and owned the league's second-best record at 28-13.&nbsp;
At that point, the Lakers made a decision that would come back to haunt them. Hindsight is 20/20, of course, but the Lakers arrived at a fork in the road and chose the wrong path. They've been headed downhill ever since. (Over the past 11 months, the Lakers are 43-51 in the 94 games they've played).&nbsp;
On the eve of the 2021 trade deadline, the Lakers and Toronto Raptors were engaged in serious discussions on a potential deal that would have sent Kyle Lowry to LaLa Land, giving LeBron and Co. the established veteran point guard (and proven winner) the team desperately needed. The Lakers and Raps <a href="https://theathletic.com/2477311/2021/03/25/what-the-lakers-were-willing-to-trade-for-kyle-lowry-and-what-it-says-about-the-future/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> were close to finalizing a swap sending Schroder, Caldwell-Pope and some draft capital to Toronto in exchange for Lowry. Yet, in the hours right before the deadline arrived, "the sticking point was the inclusion of Talen Horton-Tucker," <a href="https://theathletic.com/2477311/2021/03/25/what-the-lakers-were-willing-to-trade-for-kyle-lowry-and-what-it-says-about-the-future/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Jovan Buha and Bill Oram of The Athletic</a>.&nbsp;
"Rob Pelinka, the Lakers' vice president of basketball operations, insisted that price was too high for the 35-year-old Lowry, and that he was not willing to trade Horton-Tucker, the 20-year-old combo guard who has emerged as a valuable rotation player for the Lakers in his second season," Buha and Oram <a href="https://theathletic.com/2477311/2021/03/25/what-the-lakers-were-willing-to-trade-for-kyle-lowry-and-what-it-says-about-the-future/">reported</a>.
Looking back, it's impossible not to wonder how the future of several franchises might have changed if the Lakers had been willing to pony up for Lowry, who is now averaging 13.0 points and 8.1 assists per game for the Heat. This is the same Heat team that is poised to enter the All-Star break with the best record in the Eastern Conference.&nbsp;
As we know, the Lakers stood pat at last year's deadline and would struggle mightily in the six subsequent weeks. Over a 25-game stretch from mid-March through the first week in May, LA posted an 8-17 record.
The Lakers would eventually be eliminated in six games by the Suns in the first round of the 2021 playoffs. Anthony Davis returned to the Lakers' starting lineup in Game 6 after missing the second half of Game 4 and all of Game 5 due to a groin injury, but logged just five minutes before limping off the court. It was the first and only time in LeBron's career that he lost a first-round series (he had been 14-0).
"What matters to me is getting this team back healthy," James told reporters after the loss to Phoenix.
Well, as it turns out, Pelinka and James were unwilling to run it back with the same squad and hope the group would avoid injuries.&nbsp;
Instead, the Lakers rolled the dice, agreeing to one of the most dramatic and controversial trades in recent NBA history.&nbsp;
On the evening of July 29, both Woj and Shams <a href="https://twitter.com/shamscharania/status/1420855153410854925" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the Lakers had consented to take on Russell Westbrook (and his onerous contract).&nbsp;
A week later, the trade was officially announced. LA had traded away Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell, Kyle Kuzma and the draft rights to Isaiah Jackson (whom the Lakers had selected with the 22nd overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft) in exchange for Russ and several future second-rounders.&nbsp;
The justification from the Lakers was that they viewed Westbrook as an offensive powerhouse that could lighten the load LeBron had been forced to carry.&nbsp;
The Lakers rounded out their roster this past offseason by adding Trevor Ariza, Dwight Howard, Wayne Ellington, Kent Bazemore, Carmelo Anthony, Malik Monk and Rajon Rondo. They gave Kendrick Nunn the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.9 million for two years). They also re-signed Horton-Tucker to a three-year deal worth $32 million.
Shockingly, despite advanced analytics that confirmed he was a near-perfect fit playing alongside LeBron, the Lakers decided not to bring back Alex Caruso, who had excelled as a role player in LA. Caruso's aggressiveness and versatility on the defensive end, as well as unselfishness on offense, made him an ideal wingman to AD and King James.&nbsp;
However, having Westbrook on the books for $44.2 million in 2021-22 and another $47.1 million in 2022-23 undoubtedly played a part in Pelinka's decision to let Carouso leave.&nbsp;
Still, as he explained on <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/how-the-lakers-botched-alex-carusos-free-agency-and-lost-a-key-piece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">JJ Redick's "Old Man and the Three" podcast</a> back in November, Carouso had hoped to re-sign with the Lakers and was even willing to give them a hometown discount. Before ultimately accepting the offer he received from Chicago (a four-year, $37 million contract, though the final season only carries a $3 million guarantee), <a href="https://twitter.com/oldmanandthree/status/1458257821405954052?s=21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Caruso said</a> he and his agent "went back to L.A., asked if they could do the same, they said no. We asked for something else that was a little bit less; they said no."
As it turns out, the concerns many critics envisioned over the summer related to potential issues arising from the addition of Westbrook have reared their ugly head. Unfortunately for Los Angeles, Westbrook's declining athleticism has hamstrung the former All-Star.
At various points this season, Westbrook's alarming regression has been uncomfortable to watch. In the closing minutes of LA's victory over the New York Knicks last weekend, Russ found himself alone in the corner and as he was about to launch a three-pointer, the home crowd <a href="https://twitter.com/FanMahome/status/1490172360892329985">screamed at him not to shoot</a>. Coach Frank Vogel yanked him out of the lineup in overtime vs. New York. In the Lakers' embarrassing loss to the Bucks on Tuesday, Westbrook was benched for the final 14 minutes of the game, including the entire fourth quarter. Russ sat out Wednesday's loss to Portland with a "lower back" injury.&nbsp;
His counting stats on the season are solid (18/7/7), but the peripheral numbers are putrid, and his plus/minus is the worst on the team. This season, the Lakers have been outscored by 123 points with Westbrook on the floor, whereas they have outscored their opponents by 35 points with Russ on the bench.
The situation has careened toward rock-bottom this month. Over the Lakers' last four games, Westbrook is shooting just 27% from the floor, 15% from downtown and 55.0% from the free-throw line. He's also leading the league in turnovers.
Yet, now that the 2022 trade deadline has passed, we know that Lakers fans have no choice but to hope Russ can somehow locate his confidence and contribute to winning.&nbsp;
It has been rumored this week that the Houston Rockets were willing to trade John Wall to the Lakers for Westbrook, but Pelinka was reportedly unwilling to include LA's 2027 first-round pick, which Houston was demanding. Will the decision come back to bite LA, as refusing to include THT at last year's deadline did? Even if Wall failed to live up to expectations, would it have amounted to addition by subtraction?&nbsp;
Although Monk has been fantastic, and Melo has given LA as much as they could have hoped for, Howard, Ellington and Bazemore have failed to deliver. Ariza is averaging 4.2 points while shooting 36% from the floor. Rondo is no longer on the roster. Nunn, hampered by a bone bruise in his right knee, has yet to log a single second in an NBA game this season. Horton-Tucker is converting career-lows from the floor (41%) and behind the arc (27%). Despite playing nearly six more minutes per game, THT is averaging fewer assists this season (2.7) than he did in 2020-21, while still committing 1.5 turnovers a night.
Sum it all up, and you see why the Lakers have lost more than half of their games and find themselves in ninth place in the West, despite LeBron authoring the greatest season in NBA history by a 37-year-old.&nbsp;
This is a particularly bitter pill for Lakers fans to swallow considering the team purportedly had several different options to choose from this summer when shopping around their Kuz/&rsquo;Trez/draft picks package, including a deal for Sacramento sharpshooter Buddy Hield. In that scenario, the Lakers could have held onto KCP and added Hield, and the combined salary of both players still would have been $8 million less than Westbrook's cap hit of $44.2 million.&nbsp;
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To be fair, it's worth noting that in 2020-21, Westbrook played his best basketball of the season after the All-Star break. Over the Wizards' final 35 games of the season, he averaged 23.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, 13.4 assists and 1.5 steals, while shooting a respectable 44% from the floor, 32% from behind the arc and 72% from the FT line. Washington closed the regular season by going 17-6 over their final 23 contests and advanced to the playoffs.&nbsp;
Will Russ and his teammates feel less pressure now that the deadline has passed? LeBron and the Lakers don't need Westbrook to dominate the ball and chase triple-doubles, but they do need him to focus on playing the best defense of his career and help facilitate the offense, especially when James needs a breather.&nbsp;
If Russ cannot shake out of his slump, LA will have a very tough time getting back on track and achieving the goals they set for themselves back in October.&nbsp;
And if Los Angeles fails to right the ship (wasting a year of "Prime LeBron" in the process), the team's fans will look back with rage on the terrible trades and free-agency failures over the past 12 months that led to the Lakers' demise.&nbsp;
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Tommy Beer delves into the errors of the Lakers' ways following their championship success one-and-a-half years ago.

How the Lakers managed to turn a contending team into a sub-.500 mess

Kevin Love bolted from his seat, a spot on the bench that has revived his career and helped fuel the Cavaliers' stunning rise, and streaked past coach J.B. Bickerstaff standing near the scorer's table.
Stopping near midcourt, Love screamed and pointed toward teammate Dean Wade, another of Cleveland's reserves, who nailed a 3-pointer to push the Cavs back in front of the New York Knicks.
Once an All-Star, Love's now a $30 million-per-year role player relishing his new niche.
The 33-year-old, slowed by injuries and self-inflicted drama the past few seasons, is having the time of his basketball life with the young Cavs, a 22-win team last season and now a legitimate threat to win the Eastern Conference.
Trade rumors about Love have gone silent. The on-court temper tantrum in Toronto last year has been forgiven, if not forgotten. Cleveland fans don't grumble as much about his massive contract.
Love's in a positive place emotionally after being so open about his struggles with mental health.
&ldquo;The world that we live in now people tend to have quick memories," Love said with a smile after scoring 20 points in 24 minutes as Cleveland beat New York and moved 10 games over .500. "I&rsquo;m thankful for that. ... Winning changes a lot.&rdquo;
However, it's deeper than that.
Love's willingness to accept coming off the bench this season so rookie forward Evan Mobley could develop has had a trickle-down effect.
The selfless move, perhaps partially rooted in him wanting to make himself appealing for a trade, has helped galvanize the Cavs.
&ldquo;He made the ultimate sacrifice of basketball, probably a first-ballot Hall of Famer, to basically pass the torch to a rookie,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said before Monday&rsquo;s win over the Knicks. "&ldquo;That&rsquo;s not easy to do. Not only did he do it, he did it without hangover.
"He didn&rsquo;t hold onto it the next day or the next weeks and walk around pouting and be an energy vampire. He accepted the role and then tried to be the best at it, tried to help the team as best he possibly could. To me, those are the guys that deserve all of our respect because it&rsquo;s not easy.
"We see guys go out fighting all the way. For him to do that and contribute to the team and try to help the young guys, that&rsquo;s giving back to the game and that&rsquo;s what this game is about.&rdquo;
Mobley said Love's acceptance changed the Cavs.
&ldquo;It's had a huge impact, just him being bought in,&rdquo; said the 20-year-old and Rookie of the Year frontrunner. "Everyone's all on the same page. We all know what we're supposed to do, so I feel like him doing that helped the team a lot."
Love's got his game back on track as well.
He's averaging 13.9 points and 7.2 rebounds in a career-low 21.4 minutes. The Cavs' preseason plan was to reduce Love's workload to try to keep him healthier, and to this point it has gone perfectly.
Because of Love's ability as an outside shooter, Bickerstaff uses him to spread defenses and create more driving opportunities for others. And, if the Cavs need points, Love can deliver those too.
With the Cavs in a third-quarter funk against the Knicks, Love knocked down four 3-pointers in the third quarter &mdash; three in 67 seconds &mdash; to help Cleveland open an 11-point lead.
The flurry forced New York to call a timeout, and Cleveland's crowd erupted to salute the rejuvenated Love, who later said the moment reminded him of the Cavs' four-year run to the Finals from 2015-18.
&ldquo;It was huge for us,&rdquo; Wade said of Love's lift. &ldquo;Everyone loves Kevin Love. It feels like once a game he goes on those little runs by himself. It just gives us so much energy."
Cleveland fans are falling for these Cavs, whose embrace of a team-first attitude and obvious chemistry on and off the floor has driven their rise in the standings.
And even though his young teammates playfully call him &lsquo;Old Man&rsquo; or &lsquo;Uncle Kevin,&rsquo; Love's enjoying the ride.
&ldquo;We may be the ultimate share-the-wealth team,&rdquo; Love said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s beautiful. We really pay it forward for the next guy. We trust the extra pass. We trust guys to make the right plays out there and understand that they have great intention in everything that they do and we do.
"That allows guys to play free."
It's easy to see Love's renewed joy, whether he's hugging guard Darius Garland or delivering a flying chest bump after a big basket.
&ldquo;For him to be back and feel like he&rsquo;s a part of something greater than himself, that&rsquo;s why we do what we do,&rdquo; said Bickerstaff, who has known Love since his rookie season with Minnesota 13 years ago. "For him to be able to showcase that with all the things that he&rsquo;s been through recently, you love and respect that.&rdquo;
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Once an All-Star, Kevin Love's now a $30 million-per-year role player relishing his new niche with the Cavs.

'Old Man' Love relishing reserve role with rising Cavaliers

In case you missed it, Markieff Morris had this to say last night.
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Ain&rsquo;t shit wild about it! It&rsquo;s a real injury! Imagine having a 300 pound sloppy fat boy run full speed and make direct contact with your spine! I&rsquo;ll be back soon like I said. <a href="https://t.co/jMdySrLxuw">https://t.co/jMdySrLxuw</a>
&mdash; Keef Morris (@Keefmorris) <a href="https://twitter.com/Keefmorris/status/1479276725292830723?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2022</a>
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Yeah, so, about that.
It&rsquo;s been 60 days since Markieff Morris last played an NBA game. The reason... we all know by now, don&rsquo;t we?
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It was common to hear reactions from NBA Twitter, "Inside The NBA" and others&nbsp;that suggested Jokić was in the right and/or Morris deserved it. While Morris can&rsquo;t entirely be absolved because of the needless take foul beforehand, the entire ordeal and aftermath are worth revisiting precisely two months later.&nbsp;
Let&rsquo;s preface the rest by saying, coming from someone who also covers combat sports and asks for&nbsp;your favorite kerfuffles on his profile for this website, I think fighting in non-combat sports isn&rsquo;t as bad as the pearl-clutchers think. It honestly shouldn&rsquo;t even always warrant a suspension &mdash; depending on the context &mdash; but I understand why it often does. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOAEz9uK6GY">Some sh*t goes too far</a>, but more than often,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmAMCFAugKc&amp;t=27s">guys don&rsquo;t even want to fight to begin with</a>. (Kenyon Martin even <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-rumors-kenyon-martin-enforcer-toughness-physicality-league-kevin-garnett-fight-fighting-defense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">addressed that here on BasketballNews.com in an article</a>.) 
And there&rsquo;s shared blame here, which we&rsquo;ll navigate through as one, big, happy-ass family.
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First of all, the video of the fight itself: Bleacher Report having as their headline, &ldquo;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L06009FEQRs&amp;t=27s">Nikola Jokic INJURED Markieff Morris &amp; ALMOST ENDED HIS CAREER 👀</a>&rdquo; is pretty wack. Eyeball emojis shouldn&rsquo;t come after ALMOST ENDED HIS CAREER in all caps &ndash; that&rsquo;s mad insensitive to still have up there after two months.
Secondly, the comments embody what we&rsquo;re talking about. People saying a variation of Morris getting what he deserved, applauding Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal and Charles Barkley for defending Jokić&rsquo;s right to obliterate Morris from behind &mdash; we&rsquo;ll get to that momentarily.
Not too many combinations of jokes were directed at Morris, who apparently was faking his injury, right? So much so that he still hasn&rsquo;t played since.&nbsp;
Now, the "Inside" guys.&nbsp;
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The first thing Charles Barkley said was, &ldquo;I love this.&rdquo;
Less than a minute later, O&rsquo;Neal added, &ldquo;I like what The Joker did.&rdquo;
Asked by Ernie Johnson to expand, Barkley emphatically interjected, rhetorically asking, &ldquo;What did Joker do?&rdquo;&nbsp;
Johnson replied, &ldquo;Gave him (Morris) a shot in the back and whiplashed him.&rdquo;
And Shaq contributed, &ldquo;First of all, Ernie, it&rsquo;s called retaliation. When you hit me, don&rsquo;t turn around. Don&rsquo;t turnaround, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM1V1D1r_PU">Brad Miller, because I&rsquo;m swinging</a>,&rdquo; with a laugh.
Kenny Smith attempted to provide a more levelheaded take, saying, &ldquo;We would hope that Joker could have some self-restraint.&rdquo; He was then immediately shot down by O&rsquo;Neal and Barkley, and the segment continued.
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There&rsquo;s absolutely something to what O&rsquo;Neal and Barkley said regarding retaliation, self-defense and sending a message. Additionally, there&rsquo;s some arrogance in leveling someone and immediately turning around, thinking you&rsquo;re untouchable as a result. Not great from Keef, there.
And as bad as the neck injury has been for Morris, it could&rsquo;ve been worse &mdash; a stretcher was even brought out as a precaution. Luckily, he was able to walk off.
And, look, we&rsquo;ve all been to an emotional point where the subsequent actions we took were regrettable, so this ain&rsquo;t finger-wagging more than an observation and reevaluation.
Jokić, at 6-foot-11, 284 pounds, has a distinct size advantage over Morris' listed <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/morrima02.html">6-foot-9, 245-pound frame</a>, so throwing his entire body weight into an unsuspecting Morris from behind is especially threatening. You&rsquo;d probably say Morris put himself in that danger, but even Jokić &mdash; clearly not being in his right mind at the time &mdash; has to know that he can&rsquo;t charge into Morris from behind like that, which he admitted after. It isn&rsquo;t like the foul was from behind, either.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a stupid play,&rdquo; Jokic said, seemingly with regret. &ldquo;I feel bad. I&rsquo;m not supposed to react that way, but it&rsquo;s in the middle of the game. I got hit, I saw him, but I just thought it was gonna be like a take foul... I thought [what Morris did] was a dirty play, and I just needed to protect myself. I fouled him bad, and I&rsquo;m not supposed to react that way.&rdquo;
He later added, insisting his feelings were genuine, &ldquo;No, I felt bad, for real... his head snapped back, so I feel really bad.&rdquo; &nbsp;
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In regards to the unusually physical Morris take foul, that was mad unnecessary at that point of the game, and when NBA games are out of reach, that&rsquo;s typically when things like this happen. As many people have indicated, Keef has a history of NBA dust-ups &mdash; including <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBZ4Al-zAQU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">with DeMarcus Cousins</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZ-azSxV-oE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">OG Anunoby</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlWOv0HEYlk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James Ennis</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9WUBR3e7H8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">whatever this was with Buddy Hield</a> among others.&nbsp;
But if his reputation preceded him, Jokic&rsquo;s should too.
Just four months earlier, Jokić was ejected for a reckless-ass frustration foul against 6-foot-1, 180-pound Cameron Payne, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bHAc-BU8oE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">then going head-to-head and exchanging words with Devin Booker</a>. Two months before that,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bQgHLt59NM" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jokić punched Terrence Ross in his arm</a>&nbsp;out of anger for not getting a call he felt he deserved. Ross gave him a receipt later in the half, but not an overly rough one.
In the Orlando Bubble, and in similar fashion, Jokić was upset about a non-call against 6-foot Patrick Beverley, and frustration fouled him on a break by... <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmftuUeYLHk">trying to Rick Flair chop him</a>? In the Nuggets-Blazers 2019 playoff series,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhndn_k-6G0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he elbowed the sh*t out of Enes Kanter</a>. (Depending on who you ask, he might&rsquo;ve been ahead of his time. Lots of people would, and I.... I understand.)
Jokić also had a bumping/shoving match with Marcus, Keef&rsquo;s twin, two years ago.&nbsp;&nbsp;
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This isn&rsquo;t to say Jokić is a bad dude or an a**hole. Things happen, and different athletes have different ways of expressing themselves. But if people are going to hold up Morris&rsquo; past, this should go both ways. And all of these things can co-exist &mdash; this doesn&rsquo;t have to be some tribal, side-taking nonsense.&nbsp;
Revisiting all this is not to say we should retroactively ban Jokić for an extended period, but we should reevaluate how we process these things both in the moment and afterward. Morris still hasn&rsquo;t played. I don&rsquo;t care how much you don&rsquo;t like the dude and the misguided, non-productive nature of his foul &mdash; he didn&rsquo;t deserve to get hurt and obviously hasn&rsquo;t been faking an injury. (In the moment, I thought Jokić would get suspended 3-to-5 games, so one game appeared light at the time, for what it&rsquo;s worth.)
A question lingers in my mind: How would people have reacted if this were reversed? I&rsquo;m not even going to Black and white, but more specifically: What if Morris did this to Jokić? Clearly, people would&rsquo;ve been coming for Morris&rsquo; head since he&rsquo;s a role player, Jokić is a superstar, and plenty of y&rsquo;all don&rsquo;t like the Morris twins to begin with.
On Christmas Eve,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/Keefmorris/status/1474434182575185922" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Morris said he was "coming soon."</a> He said it again last night.
Well, it&rsquo;s been eight weeks since the encounter with The Joker. At 32 years old, hopefully, he&rsquo;ll be able to reclaim what he established earlier, <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/morrima02.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which has turned out to be his best season in three years</a>. And ideally, Jokić could, as he himself indicated, collect himself a tad better before endangering someone else in this fashion.

Two months later, Bryan Fonseca analyzes the aftermath of the Nikola Jokic-Markieff Morris incident, with the latter still injured.

60 days later: Revisiting the Nikola Jokić-Markieff Morris incident

Nassir Little spoke to Alex Kennedy about his development, his breakout season, Neil Olshey's firing, Portland's struggles and more.

Q&A: Nassir Little on Blazers' struggles, his development, GM change

Since he arrived to the NBA as the No. 1 pick in 2017 for the Philadelphia 76ers, there has been so much misreported about Markelle Fultz.
Fultz went through two tumultuous years of misinformation by the media and fans, conspiracy theories, unfounded rumors, criticisms and internet jokes, and he was labeled a bust by people who are paid a king&rsquo;s ransom on ESPN &mdash; namely Stephen A. Smith, who called Fultz &ldquo;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG8Vtvkq8Fo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the biggest bust in NBA history</a>.&rdquo;
But what actually happened is quite the opposite. Fultz wasn&rsquo;t a &ldquo;bust.&rdquo; He was dealing with an injury that is not only untraceable by an MRI, but also rarely (or hardly ever) seen in basketball players. In spite of all that, he was still trying to play through the pain because of his love for the game of basketball, and it's something that he does, in fact, regret doing.&nbsp;
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I spoke with Fultz on <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-rematch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">my podcast</a>, "The Rematch," and the Orlando Magic guard opened up on everything that happened with his shoulder and finally put all of the incorrect rumors to rest. Below is a snippet of our conversation:
Etan Thomas: You mentioned your shoulder. You injured your shoulder, and you initially tried to play through it and not tell anybody about the injury, right? Am I correct?
Markelle Fultz: "Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely."
Etan Thomas: So walk me through that process because people don't really understand how it works sometimes. And I'm sure the pressure of being No. 1 was a contributing factor to why you wanted to play through the injury. But walk me through that process.
Markelle Fultz: "Yeah. Well, a lot of people just don&rsquo;t know my love for the game. Growing up in the area I grew up, you have bumps and bruises. But that's where it becomes a business, taking care of your body. And me being who I am, loving the game so much, I feel like, although my shoulder was messed up, I feel like I can still contribute to the game and help my team win. So I wanted to go out there and just compete and have fun with the game. And also, it's my first year. And I think that I did a poor job of communicating to my agent and my family what I was feeling, instead of just going out there and trying to compete without expressing what I was feeling. And all I was doing was making it worse. But when I realized that certain situations weren't going my way, I knew I had to speak up, and I had to do what's best for myself.
"And I think that was the toughest part about it, because I felt like I could still play and contribute to my team, but I wasn't myself. I wasn't 100%, and it wasn't what was best for the team. So I took that time and tried to figure out what was going on. And I went to go see certain doctors and started that rehab process then. But I think the biggest thing I learned from that is just taking care of my body, and communicating what I feel to not only my agent and my family, but also trainers and stuff like that."
Etan Thomas: So how long were you in pain before you told anybody?
Markelle Fultz: "Actually, my shoulder started hurting before training camp [in my rookie year]. &nbsp;But I just thought it was from how much work I was putting in, from me shooting so much that my shoulder was just sore. So I tried to work through it. I'm going in the gym, shooting thousands of shots, trying to shoot through it. And the whole time, I just continued to make it worse. But again, the mindset that I had, I'm just trying to grind. I'm trying to continue to work through these issues, and not knowing that I'm making it worse. Again, I'm just kind of being young and being selfish, I would call it, in a sense, not understanding my body. And I think that was a big part of it. And again, once I communicated, I started to get the help that I needed. And I started to work and rehab, and it started to get better."
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Etan Thomas: You mentioned you learned how to advocate for yourself. I want you to go a little bit more detail with that. And speak up because still, a lot of people don't really understand how it works with team trainers and team doctors, and how a lot of times players have to speak up and advocate for themselves. Just go into a little bit more detail about that point.
Markelle Fultz: "Yeah. And this is no knock on any team or anything like that, but it's a business, at the end of the day. And sometimes, again, it's a long season, so you have bumps and bruises. And sometimes, some people play through it, some people don't. Everybody's body is different. So especially not knowing a person and not knowing the situation, if you don't communicate and advocate for yourself, you never know what could happen. And it can be something as small as your toe hurting. But what I've learned so much about my body is your body compensates. And we're so good, as athletes and as humans, that if we're trying to do something, our body's going to find a way to do it. So it might not be the right way, but we can do certain stuff and hurt ourself, in the long run.
"And so my one thing would be: try to be in tune with your body as much as you can. And [it could be something] as small as your toenail hurting. I mean, you always get this phrase of 'You're soft' or you're whatever. But what I've learned is I'd rather overcommunicate about how my body's feeling and still be able to work out. I still want to work out, but I'm going to let you know, 'Hey, my big toe's hurting. Hey, my right hamstring is feeling like this today. My knee's feeling like this.' So they can start to know that you're caring about your body, and you're documenting certain stuff, so you don't end up compensating and hurting yourself in the long run."
Etan Thomas: Yeah, well, it's interesting. You go to different gyms, and they could be even as young as high school. And you see phrases on the wall like "Pain is weakness leaving your body" and stuff like that. And I hate that. I do, because it puts the wrong mentality into players, to thinking that them being injured is somehow their fault, like they're not being tough enough to play through an injury. And I just personally cannot stand that mentality at all.
Markelle Fultz: "Yeah. And I think that's how I kind of grew up. Not in a bad way. But growing up, I'm playing through whatever. I don't want to be soft. I want to show that I'm tough. But when you get to a certain point where your body is your brand... Your body is your car, so you need to take care of that thing like it's a Ferrari. You hear phrases like that, but it's true. You have to take care of your body.
"You have to get the right recovery. You have to get the right sleep. If not, it's going to end up hurting you. It might not hurt you right away, but down the road it can give you certain side effects. Or you never know, it can lead to something happening right away. But there are also freak accidents that happen. But I think that's the one thing that I would recommend to any player at any age, is just communicating about your body. [That] doesn't mean that you have to sit out of a drill, but it can start to put an awareness on people's mind. You can start to document certain things. And you'll have a better understanding, going forward, of why you do what you do."
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Markelle Fultz&rsquo;s story is a great example for all younger players on fighting through adversity, having the right mentality, ignoring critics and perseverance. His testimony is something every young athlete should hear. Powerful interview <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheRematch?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TheRematch</a> <a href="https://t.co/25vHkql1Rj">https://t.co/25vHkql1Rj</a> <a href="https://t.co/LpHu9jQxfG">pic.twitter.com/LpHu9jQxfG</a>
&mdash; Etan Thomas (@etanthomas36) <a href="https://twitter.com/etanthomas36/status/1464569831324332045?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Etan Thomas: But I think that sometimes a player does have to sit down. A player does have to say, "Okay, I can't go. You're going to talk bad about me. You're going to tell..." So I use the example a lot with my son about Robert Griffin III. So when RG III first came to D.C., my son was the biggest RG III fan on earth. And then I took him to... you know when they have the open scrimmages? So he met him, and RG III was cool with him. And they took a picture, and he's been the biggest RG III fan forever since then. And you remember that game where RG III was limping out there? And so, I'm watching that game with Malcolm. And he was like, "Why is he playing? What is he doing? He's going to injure himself," and so forth. This is what a young Malcolm is saying.
And sure enough, in fact his entire career, the trajectory of everything, went downhill from there. And then you saw the trainer say, "Well, I didn't tell him to go out there." Nobody wanted to take responsibility. But it should be the trainer's job to tell you that you are going to hurt yourself more if you continue playing. And that's the problem that I personally have with a lot of NBA trainers. I'm not throwing anybody in particular under the bus; this is a league-wide issue. They're employers of the team, and they want to do what's best for the team, not what's best for the player.
Markelle Fultz: "Exactly. And that's where it comes back to a relationship. So you have to have the certain people in your corner that's going to always keep it real with you because at the end of the day, like I said, your body's your brand. And it's about the longevity. It's different if it's Game 7 in the playoffs or the championship, and you're sacrificing for that. What I've also learned is rest is a big part of recovery, and getting the right amount of rest. Some days you got to go hard, and some days you have to not do anything at all. I mean, you can do some light stuff. But I think you hit it right on the head. Some people&rsquo;s mind is set for the team. Not everybody has your best interest [in mind]. You have the best interest for yourself. So I think that's why it's huge to communicate how you feel to whoever it is &mdash; whether it's your mom, your dad, your trainer, whoever &mdash; and do what you feel is best because you know your body the best.
"Nobody else can tell you how your body is supposed to feel, how your body feels at that time. And I think that's where I learned how to advocate the most for myself. And I've gotten more respect from a lot of people when I do that. And again, it doesn't mean you're soft. It's just being smart about certain things. But at the same time, you do have to push yourself in certain limits to be able to... It's going to be certain days where you're sore, and you still have to push through. That's part of it, but it's a difference between sore and hurt. So just trying to learn... The sooner you start to communicate certain things, you start to learn what's pain, and what's okay to work through and what's not to work through. And that's where I think I've learned the most. I've learned how to identify what's going on in my body, and understand what I need to do to make that feel better, or if I need to take rest or if I need to go get treatment."
Etan Thomas: Yeah. I mean, I always heard the saying that there's a difference between being injured and hurting. So sometimes you're going to have to play through being hurting. That's just part of being an athlete. But being injured, you need to sit down.
Markelle Fultz: Exactly.
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Etan Thomas: So, I want to ask a few specifics. I remember seeing some videos of you, watching you play and seeing your different routines on the free-throw line. And I just wanted to ask: Was that when you was trying to push through it? Was it part of the rehab? So there was one where you would kind of pat the ball like this, and then shoot it. And then there were some where you would go up and it would be kind of like a hitch, kind of. What exactly was going on?
Markelle Fultz: "Yes. So what a lot of people don't know is, what TOS (Thoracic Outlet Syndrome) is. It's a nerve... It's when your nerves are getting pressured on, and you can start to lose feeling in your hands. So at the time when I was playing, I still had TOS. I wasn't diagnosed with TOS. I still was working through certain shoulder stuff. But again, with my love for the game, I still wanted to be out there.
"And another thing people don't know, TOS is not diagnosed through a MRI, CAT scan. It's very hard to diagnose TOS, which is a big part of why, in the beginning, I kind of thought that nothing was going on. And I just thought it was my shoulder, because when I got MRIs and I got the scans, I didn't see anything that was going on. But I had to continue. So I went from shooting 40% in college to coming into the NBA.... It's so funny, people were like, 'He changed his shot.' Like, what would I change my shot for? There's no reason. So that was one of the funniest things that I heard, then I used to hear all these rumors about me being injured on a motorcycle, but that's another story."
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&ldquo;JJ Redick stood up for me to the media. He went off on them in front of the camera and I really appreciated that a lot. He was like a big brother to me&rdquo; Markelle Fultz <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheRematch?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TheRematch</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JJRedick?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JJRedick</a> <a href="https://t.co/U5IHeV99rU">https://t.co/U5IHeV99rU</a> <a href="https://t.co/GwGJ3a3FSB">pic.twitter.com/GwGJ3a3FSB</a>
&mdash; Etan Thomas (@etanthomas36) <a href="https://twitter.com/etanthomas36/status/1464597794677743621?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Etan Thomas: Oh, man! There were so many different rumors about you... They got the story wrong so many times. I heard so many different stories.
Markelle Fultz: And that's what was the funniest thing because to me... I never went out to address it because I didn't care about that. Again, my main focus was getting back on the court, doing what I needed to do. But some of the stuff I used to see, I used to be like, 'Yo, that's crazy that somebody actually believes that.' But it also taught me another thing: You can't believe everything you read, right? But yeah. So pretty much what people didn't know is, so when I was going... The whole thing on my shoulder, when I would try to shoot, it almost felt like I had a too-small suit jacket on. So I would go, try to go up, and it felt like somebody was almost holding my arm there. I would try to move fast, but I felt like I couldn't move fast. So what I ended up doing is continue to try to shoot on it. I ended up building up more and more pressure on my shoulder where I'm not using... where I'm starting to hinge my shoulder up. I'm starting to use the wrong muscles, and I'm building bad habits.
"But what people don't understand is I'm out there playing, still. Still trying to shoot, still doing this. I was still making free throws. I wasn't very high percentage, but I was still making free throws. And so the first thing, when I would go up sometimes, I would lose feeling in my hand. And so, that's the reason I'd double clutch, because I would get here and I wouldn't feel like the ball was in my hand. But when I'd come up, my feeling would come back because the way it is &mdash; when I'm going through a certain motion &mdash; my muscles are pushing on my nerve, which is cutting my feeling off. And when I go through, it releases off the nerve, and that's when I would get my feeling back. So when I would do the double clutch, it was because when I would get here, I wouldn't feel the ball in my hand. So it was no way I was shooting if I don't feel like the ball [was] in my hand.
"So I would go up a little bit and it would come back, so I would just come from here and shoot the ball. And so when I went to practice, I'm like, 'Alright, that's not working, so let me try something else.' So another thing I tried to do was, this wouldn't have me holding the ball. So the desensitization of just moving the ball back and forth until I get into where I get feeling, which is right here, then I can just shoot. I was fine shooting from here. If I had just caught the ball here and shot up, it was perfectly fine. So that was why I went to that because I was just trying to be more efficient at the free-throw line. I didn't care what people were saying. I was just trying to get my flow in. So when I got to where I needed to go, I can just shoot the ball fine. But again, that was another realization of me compensating. And I said, 'Markelle Fultz, you don't need to compensate. You need to get healthy.'
"And another instance where I talked to my agent, I just told him I have no problem playing. I just feel like I want to be myself so I can just go out there and play without thinking, just playing my game, be who I am. And so, that's where it kind of went from. But just a lot of repetition of shooting the wrong way, it just builds bad habits and it builds your muscle memory wrong. And so, that was the biggest thing, trying to get back to... And I'm still working on it now. It's something I'm always going to have to work on. It's just trying to get my brain to process the ball being over my head the same way. And it's something that is a everyday grind, but I'm enjoying it. I feel way more comfortable now, and I feel the improvement. And again, I know my body, so I know what I need to work on.
Listen to the full episode of Markelle Fultz on The Rematch <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-rematch/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-39-markelle-fultz-talks-injuries,-dealing-with-criticism-his-love-of-the-game-and-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

Markelle Fultz gives a behind-the-scenes breakdown of the shoulder injury he suffered as a rookie and how it affected his jump shot.

Markelle Fultz reveals what really happened with his shot, shoulder

The Milwaukee Bucks earned the right to be called NBA champions.&nbsp;
Giannis Antetokounmpo could&rsquo;ve spurned the organization that drafted him for greener pastures as the national pundits were begging him to do last fall, but he instead stuck with it and signed a super-max contract before the 2020-21 season began. For the first time in what seems like a while, loyalty has been rewarded with gold.&nbsp;
"I just I couldn't leave. There was a job that had to be finished," Giannis said after the Bucks' title win. "The Bubble did not pay us justice. Give credit to the Miami Heat. They played great. But they did not pay us justice. Everybody was feeling homesick. We are a family-oriented team and we wanted to see our families.
"But coming back, I was like, 'This is my city. They trust me. They believe in me. They believe in us.' Even when we lost, the city was still -- went outside and [supported us]. You know, obviously, I wanted to get the job done. But that's my stubborn side. It's easy to go somewhere and go win a championship with somebody else. It's easy. I could go to a super-team and just do my part and win a championship.
"But this is the hard way to do it and this is the way to do it and we did it. F***ing did it. We did it, man."
Milwaukee&rsquo;s franchise face chose to work harder, honing in on his craft as he let Bucks general manager Jon Horst make the appropriate tweaks to the roster in the offseason prior to Giannis signing the dotted line. Horst boldly acquired Jrue Holiday as a part of a massive four-team deal that sent Eric Bledsoe and a boatload of future draft capital to the New Orleans Pelicans and George Hill to the Oklahoma City Thunder, as well as Milwaukee&rsquo;s No. 24 overall pick in 2020 (which became R.J. Hampton).&nbsp;
Horst nearly added Bogdan Bogdanovic to the mix as well via trade, except the NBA nixed that effort when it was learned that talks were being had prior to the moratorium period. Still, the Bucks were able to bring in Bobby Portis and Bryn Forbes (and ironically, Finals opponent Torrey Craig) to bolster the bench bunch, and PJ Tucker and Jeff Teague joined the fray late in the season for a playoff run.&nbsp;
The point is: Milwaukee wasn&rsquo;t resting on its laurels with Giannis&rsquo; commitment hanging in the balance, and the front office&rsquo;s sense of urgency was felt in a major way. Looking back, both parties have to feel great about how the offseason was handled, especially with so many rumors linking Giannis to different teams and head coach Mike Budenholzer&rsquo;s job potentially being in jeopardy. Vibes surrounding the team, at least on the outside looking in, were pretty negative.
"What Jon Horst has done to put together a team, he's the greatest GM in the league," Budenholzer said. "I'm a little bit biased, but to be his partner, for him to go out and get Jrue Holiday, to have the guts to make that [trade], to recruit guys, to get P.J. Tucker midseason, Bobby Portis in the offseason. Stick with Khris [Middleton], Giannis and Brook [Lopez] and Pat [Connaughton] and these guys, and you go up and down the roster. Jon has done an amazing job.
"Ownership, Marc Lasry, Wes Edens, Jamie Dinan, Mike Fascitelli, they give us what we need. We keep pushing. We try to get better as coaches, players, and here we are [celebrating]. It's special."
Fast forward to now, with a Larry O&rsquo;Brien trophy to show for withstanding those bumps in the road, and those concerns have vanished. This is a group that weathered a number of storms in multiple ways, so it shouldn&rsquo;t come as a surprise that the Bucks&rsquo; identity in this 2020-21 postseason was built on resilience and mental toughness.&nbsp;
"As a whole, we used a lot of our failures as experience. We've been in a lot of situations our past years here," Middleton said. "At the beginning of the year, we had a new team, a lot of new rotation guys, different guys step into the starting lineup and we knew it was going to be challenging, but we all said it was going to be worth it to learn and find out how to adjust and figure out what we needed to do in-game to win. We knew it wasn't always going to be pretty, we knew we were going to have to win different styles of ballgames, but that's the type of team you want to be, to throw different guys out there, different lineups out there, because you can't win the same way at this level."
"It took time. You could see it," Tucker added. "Everything kind of got -- Coach has to play it the right way. It's got to flow. And mind you, we didn't have Donte [DiVincenzo]. We're missing a big piece. Donte would have been huge for this series, especially a big series. But all that mattered. Even throughout the process, me, I got hurt early and being out. It was a lot of obstacles throughout the season. So it wasn't just like, Oh, we can win it. It's like, Oh, we got a really good team, we got a strong team, we got a chance. But I think honestly, after the Brooklyn series, it was like, All right, we here now. Ain't no need -- we here, we got to go for it. This is it, fellas; this is it. So everybody bought in.&nbsp;
Aside from a payback thrashing of the Miami Heat in the first round, Milwaukee&rsquo;s back was against the wall in every series the team played in. There were 0-2 deficits and inconsistencies in performances. Donte DiVincenzo was lost three games into the playoffs. There was even a nearly-devastating knee injury to Giannis in the Eastern Conference Finals when the outcome was far from determined. Though there were so many instances when the Bucks could&rsquo;ve thrown in the towel, they refused to.
"We were down 0-2 against Brooklyn and came together as a group within our film session and talked it out. We all wanted to be on the same page and realized how we needed to play and what we needed to do. It was the same thing in this series," Middleton said. "We never got down, we're still playing, we still have a chance. That's the way we felt, no matter if we were down in the game or the series, it didn't matter. We knew each time we took the court we had a chance to win. And we have everybody in the locker room and organization that believes and that is never going to give up until it's completely over. That's who you want to play with, guys who are going to fight to the end."
"It's incredible. It's a testament to the team," Lopez said. "I'm a team guy. I've always been a team guy. And so you know, like I was saying earlier, it's something that all our guys deserve, and to see them persevere, we went 0-2 against Brooklyn, 0-1 against Atlanta and 0-2 to open the series against the Suns, and to see our guys fight back and make adjustments and keep that belief in one another, that's special and not something you get with everything team. I've seen that through my 13 years in the league that this team is absolutely one of a kind and I am just fortunate and pleased to be part of that."
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Giannis persevered through his knee setback, ensuring he did everything in his power to ready himself for the Finals after the Game 4 injury occured in Atlanta nine days beforehand. The Finals opener definitely showed that the Greek Freak wasn&rsquo;t 100%; it didn&rsquo;t stop him from progressing with each night, and Giannis imposed his will in every game from there on out.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s almost like the injury slowed things down for him mentally, and he was able to process the game more naturally as a result. He was at his best when off the ball and used as a screener in the halfcourt, and when coming full speed like a locomotive in transition. Giannis understood when the time was right to use his size on the block and didn&rsquo;t force the issue quite as much as he did in previous series. His decisiveness was arguably the best we&rsquo;ve seen since he&rsquo;s been in the league, quickly swinging the ball without bogged-down possessions and spraying it around to his teammates on drives to the rim. And if he ever received the ball in the vicinity of the rim, it was curtains for anybody that tried to stop him.
That&rsquo;s just the offense. As a help defender, Giannis wasn&rsquo;t outdone by a single soul. He didn&rsquo;t shy away from crunch time, making his biggest impacts when the lights shone the brightest. Instinctually, he was superb, racking up deflections and starting Milwaukee&rsquo;s fastbreaks on the regular. He bodied up Deandre Ayton inside, and challenged Devin Booker and Chris Paul on switches when needed. That goes without mentioning how he erased a plethora of shots at their apex and hustled back on transition defense with every possession the Suns had numbers. All-around, he was just magnificent, and it was a 120% effort from somebody who wasn't 100%.
"I think he embraces us being great defensively. Giannis does, the whole team," Budenholzer said. "When we get stops and get out and run and get Giannis in space, get our team in space, I think he's special. He was able to put his stamp on the game in the third quarter and flip the score. And then some big plays in the fourth quarter -- big plays, big blocks. It's hard to keep finding words for Giannis."
Giannis' journey throughout the playoffs culminated with an iconic showing in the Game 6 series finale, a 50-point, 14-rebound, 5-block signature performance to send Milwaukee to the promised land and earn himself the Finals MVP award. The Greek Freak joined Shaquille O'Neal as the only other player in NBA history to record three 40-point, 10-rebound games in a Finals series.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Giannis EXPLODES for 33 of his 50 points in the 2nd half of Game 6, fueling the <a href="https://twitter.com/Bucks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Bucks</a> Taco Bell Comeback en route to their first NBA Championship in 50 years! 50 PTS 14 REB 5 BLK 17-19 FTM <a href="https://t.co/qDbk0nHWeb">pic.twitter.com/qDbk0nHWeb</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1417721768287080448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2021</a></blockquote>

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"I don't know how many words you need to use beyond 50 points in a close out game in an NBA Finals. Pretty much sums it all up," Lopez said. "It's so indicative of who Giannis is as a player, as a person. He had to -- he has that mindset always to just take care of business and he's been our leader throughout my time. To have him as a focal point of everything we do and the way he goes about it, it's just contagious with the whole team, and he's so impressive night-in and night-out.&nbsp;
"This is stuff you don't want to take for granted. But that's Giannis. That's what he does, and it's just, I mean, completely aTwe-inspiring. His performance tonight, this whole series, this whole year, there's no words for that. You've just got to look at the numbers."
Khris Middleton had some mind-bogglingly off nights, as did Holiday, but there was never a question of what kind of effort they&rsquo;d bring on the defensive side of the ball. And the thing is, they&rsquo;d always bounce back in some way, shape or fashion. (Care to discuss the shots down the stretch in Game 7 in Brooklyn? Or the last two games of the East Finals without Giannis?)
For Middleton, he showed up when it counted most with the team in desperation mode. He was an excellent facilitator and pull-up magician, unafraid to take shots with a high degree of difficulty. There was an inherent clutch factor about his handy work as well, always seeming to come up huge in money time. As a lead handler and savant in the pick-and-roll, when Middleton turned the corner, it forced the opposition to make a swift choice to contest or stick with the roller -- oftentimes a lose-lose situation.
Yes, Holiday had head-scratching issues with finishing his layups, but he had plenty of gems as a pull-up three-baller and on-point dime man. There were just night-and-day occasions; you could tell the games he was &ldquo;on&rdquo; and the ones where he was way off. In spite of that, however, Holiday entirely flipped the momentum of the Finals with his defense on Chris Paul.&nbsp;
CP3 was a man possessed in Game 1 and Game 2, having his way with Milwaukee&rsquo;s bigs out on the perimeter and then adjusting to the extra attention that followed by involving his teammates. It didn&rsquo;t last long. Holiday started to pick up Paul from 94 feet starting in Game 2, and from that point on, everything changed. The former started to notice fatigue settling in, as he himself was exhausted. Holiday had Paul out of sorts, with the 36-year-old struggling with shot selection and offensive rhythm. Had it not been for that increased intensity, who knows where these Finals could&rsquo;ve gone?
"I think when it comes down to it, man, I guess I don't really even care what people think about my game. I think it's about the team. We have a great team," Holiday said. "How they put it together, we have two superstars who carried us this whole playoff series and the whole playoffs. We got great role players. We got the energy. We got Bobby. We got shooters. It's a great puzzle. I think every piece in that puzzle has contributed so much -- from Jordan Nwora to Giannis Antetokounmpo. So, it's been a heck of a journey."
We&rsquo;d be remiss to not mention the top to bottom contributions this team had on this run. Tucker injected the Bucks with grit and hustle, never backing down from a challenge no matter who it was. Pat Connaughton sunk a ton of critical threes, chased down 50-50 balls and rebounded his heart out. Bobby Portis fed off the Fiserv Forum&rsquo;s energy and channeled it into incredible, momentum-shifting production on the offensive glass and from long distance (and stepped up again in a huge way in Game 6). Brook Lopez had his role change with different matchups, but utilized his perimeter shooting and rim protection when the squad needed it; let&rsquo;s not forget the turn-the-clock-back post performance he had in Game 5 of the East Finals, either. Bryn Forbes played the role of a human torch in the Miami series. Just about everybody who was in the rotation, at some point of the postseason, contributed to this Finals victory.
"That's just the character of the team that we have. You know, it's the group of guys that make up the Milwaukee Bucks and not just the players but the coaches, the management, the ownership," Connaughton said. "At the end of the day, the guys that have been here for three years, we've had a taste of it, of what it looks like in the regular season, Brook and I's first year where he got a look at what it was like to get to the Eastern Conference Finals and take a lead, but some of the adversity from a four or five [game] losing [streak] we had in regular season to losing some games, the character of the team never wavered. We came together stronger and had each other's backs more and that's what makes up a championship-caliber roster and team and that's what wins you a championship.
"That is what made us better is just the character of the guys, the characters of guys like Brook, the characters of guys like P.J. and Bobby and guys that they don't really care what it looks like on the stats sheet. They just want to make winning plays. They want to be out playing and putting ourselves in the best position to win."
With a microscope on him, the oft-criticized Budenholzer showed a willingness to adapt and experiment throughout the season at the expense of a record. In the playoffs, he rode his best players and played them heavy minutes. Albeit sometimes at the last minute or in do-or-die time, there were adjustments made -- rotationally and schematically. For that, despite outcries to the contrary, Coach Bud deserves his own share of credit as well, in addition to his entire staff that's been by his side from day one.
There were countless amount of questions asked of the Bucks during the Finals about 2019, the furthest the franchise got in the postseason when it reached the Eastern Conference Finals against the Toronto Raptors. They were the ones who were up 2-0 and in the driver&rsquo;s seat before losing the eventual title-winners.&nbsp;
Giannis learned from that experience. Middleton learned from that experience. Budenholzer did, too, which is why those were the three with the strongest embrace when the buzzer sounded on Tuesday night.
"It's special for me to get the opportunity to coach those two guys," Budenholzer said. "The leadership they have shown since day one, from having breakfast together, you can see their desire to be great and their desire to push this organization to where we are tonight. To embrace those guys, and I love them. I love the players, I love the roster, I love the team. I'm incredibly fortunate to be where I am and just to be a small part of what's happening."
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"There is nobody in this world I'd rather do this journey with than that guy." - Giannis on Khris Middleton<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAFinals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAFinals</a> presented by YouTube TV <a href="https://t.co/5cMBAZlX4p">pic.twitter.com/5cMBAZlX4p</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1417730585678733317?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2021</a></blockquote>

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"I love Khris to death, man. I love him to death, man. It's crazy," Giannis said. "He doesn't realize how much he pushes me to be great. He pushes me to be great. I had people push me to be great and be persistent and just be dominant and just keep coming and keep working hard. He's one of those guys. You know, there was nobody in this world that I would rather do this journey with than that guy. He's been here since the beginning. He's been since the day since we were fighting for some minutes. He was yelling to me when I was 18. He was yelling to me to pass the ball and everything. We were fighting on the court when we were kids, and now we're on this stage doing it together.
"We have to enjoy this moment. We have to share this moment. Maybe we might not have another moment like this. Who knows, we can't predict the future. But we have to live in the moment, enjoy this moment. I hope Khris enjoys it with his family. And he played amazing throughout the whole playoffs, man. He led us when I was down. He gave me a chance to come back. But once we're done enjoying this, we got to get back to work. We got to do it again. That's how me and Khris operate."
"We formed a bond, a brotherhood since that first year we've been together. We struggled. We struggled together. But we both saw in each other there was no give-up," Middleton said. "It was all motivation to be better and not be embarrassed. Year after year we challenged each other to be better. Challenged each other to be better leaders, better teammates... It was all worth it for sure. Us challenging each other to be better, me being stubborn in some ways. But the thing I like, he challenged us all. I think we challenged him in certain ways to help us, but for the main part, he challenged us every day to be leaders, to fight through adversity, to change our games a little bit. It's all worth it."
In 2021, the Bucks reversed their role, and because of that, they are the last team standing.
NBA champions.

Spencer Davies looks back on the Bucks' NBA title run and the hardships the team went through from top to bottom to get there.

Battle-tested Bucks find redemption from past with NBA championship gold

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; No team in the NBA has a longer active streak of postseason appearances than the Portland Trail Blazers, who have gotten there in each of the last eight seasons.
That wasn&rsquo;t enough to save Terry Stotts, and Portland will have a new coach next season.
The Trail Blazers and Stotts parted ways Friday, ending a nine-year run that saw the team good enough to get to the playoffs &mdash; but not good enough to get past the first round in four of the last five seasons.
&ldquo;I have the utmost respect for Terry and what he has accomplished these past nine seasons,&rdquo; Blazers President Neil Olshey said. &ldquo;This was a difficult decision on both a personal and professional level but it&rsquo;s in the best interest of the franchise to move in another direction.
&ldquo;Terry will always hold a special place in the Trail Blazer family and the Portland community. We relied on the integrity, professionalism and consistency he brought to the job every day and we wish he and Jan nothing but the best.&rdquo;
It was being termed as a mutual decision. The move was made one day after Portland&rsquo;s season ended with a six-game, first-round ouster at the hands of the Denver Nuggets, a defeat that had Blazers guard Damian Lillard taking to social media after the game to indicate his frustration.
&ldquo;Just like at the end of every year, we are all evaluated,&rdquo; Stotts said after the season finale against Denver and as speculation about his status immediately started to grow. &ldquo;We will see what happens.&rdquo;
It didn't take long to get an answer.
Stotts, 63, was the NBA's fourth longest-tenured coach in his current job behind only San Antonio's Gregg Popovich, Miami's Erik Spoelstra and Dallas' Rick Carlisle. He went 402-318 in his nine regular seasons in Portland, with the eight playoff berths, and led the team to the Western Conference finals in 2019 &mdash; where the Blazers were swept by Golden State.
Well-liked throughout the league, Stotts was an assistant under Carlisle with the Mavericks for four years before taking over the Blazers. One of his most memorable seasons in Portland came in 2015-16, when the Blazers overachieved and went to the conference semifinals &mdash; despite losing starters LaMarcus Aldridge, Nic Batum, Wesley Matthews and Robin Lopez in the offseason.
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Rumors about Stotts' future with the Blazers began swirling last month, but the team's elimination by Denver sealed his fate. He had one year left on his contract in Portland.
Among the possible candidates that Portland may consider: Los Angeles Lakers assistant (and former Brooklyn and Milwaukee head coach) Jason Kidd, and ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy &mdash; whose last NBA coaching gig was with Houston in 2007.
&ldquo;He should (be at) the top of everybody&rsquo;s list who has an opening in the NBA," Lakers coach Frank Vogel said of Kidd earlier Friday, hours before Stotts' fate became known.
The new coach, whoever it is, will certainly be lured by the chance to work with one of the game's dynamic scorers in Lillard.
But Lillard fueled speculation about his own future in Portland following the elimination loss to the Nuggets. He posted a photo of himself in street clothes at the Moda Center. The caption that he added quoted the late rapper and activist Nipsey Hussle.
&ldquo;How long should I stay dedicated?&rdquo; he wrote. &ldquo;How long til opportunity meet preparation?&rdquo;
If he stays, Lillard will no doubt have input into who the Blazers choose to be their new coach.
Portland finished the regular season 42-30 and earned the sixth seed in the Western Conference. The team was riding momentum, having won 10 of its final 12 regular-season games.
The Blazers were also healthy, with both big man Jusuf Nurkic and guard CJ McCollum back from extended absences because of injuries.
But once again, the playoff trip was brief.
Lillard averaged a league-best 34.3 points and 10.2 assists in the playoffs, after averaging 28.8 points and 7.5 assists during the regular season.
He had 55 points, including a playoff record 12 3-pointers and 10 assists in Game 5 against the Nuggets, but Portland still lost, 147-140 in double overtime.
&ldquo;We've got to keep fighting, keep working and keep coming back to battle,&rdquo; Lillard said. "Regardless of how it ended, we are always going to have our heads held high, have class. They won, congratulations to them, but it&rsquo;s back to the drawing board to us."
A four-time All-Star, Lillard just wrapped up his ninth NBA season. The closest he's come to a title was that quick trip to the West finals in 2019.
&ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t win a championship, so obviously where we are now isn&rsquo;t good enough,&rdquo; he said.
Nurkic, who averaged 11.5 points and nine rebounds but missed time with a fractured right wrist, has one year left on his contract &mdash; but only $4 million is guaranteed. He didn't sound committed to returning next season, explaining it had to be the &ldquo;right situation.&rdquo;
But when asked what the right situation would be, Nurkic replied: &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know. But it&rsquo;s not this.&rdquo;
McCollum, Lillard's backcourt teammate, averaged 21.3 points this season, his best since joining the league in 2013. But he missed games with a fractured foot.
Ten-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony, who filled a key role off the bench for Portland this season, will be an unrestricted free agent, along with Enes Kanter. Norman Powell has a player option for next season.
Stotts said he was proud of what Portland was able to accomplish, given the injuries and disruptions caused by the coronavirus.
&ldquo;What we did with CJ and Nurk missing games, I was proud of that,&rdquo; Stotts said. &ldquo;At the end of the season, to do what we did was pretty impressive."
In the end, it just wasn't impressive enough.
___
AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The Portland Trail Blazers and Terry Stotts parted ways on Friday, ending a nine-year run.

Neil Olshey discusses 'difficult decision' to part ways with Terry Stotts

The first topic raised with Washington Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard the day after the team's season ended was the topic that will hang over the offseason until a decision is announced: Will coach Scott Brooks be back?
&ldquo;We're not doing anything about that today,&rdquo; Sheppard replied during a video conference with reporters on Thursday, before praising Brooks for &ldquo;keeping this team together through some of the most difficult, dark moments probably in franchise history.&rdquo;
Not surprisingly, Brooks said he wants to return; his five-year, $35 million contract is expiring.
&ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t want to move on,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I love it here. I love the city.&rdquo;
It was, to be sure, a trying season for the Wizards, who started 0-5 along the way to 17-32 in early April. They dealt with a COVID-19 outbreak that put them on a two-week hiatus without games or practices plus had to find replacements after season-ending injuries to starting center Thomas Bryant and first-round draft pick Deni Avdija.
And then, with Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook leading the way on the court, Washington turned into a winning team. It went 17-6 down the stretch to finish with the eighth-best record in the Eastern Conference (34-38) and a play-in berth, then qualified for the playoffs, where they were eliminated in five games by the No. 1 seed Philadelphia 76ers.
&ldquo;We got to the playoffs. That was a great experience. But now that's no longer acceptable,&rdquo; Sheppard said. &ldquo;We have to be much better next season, and we will.&rdquo;
BROOKS
During his tenure, Washington is 183-207 in the regular season, a .469 winning percentage, and won one playoff series. But he was praised by Sheppard and his players alike for steering the team through this season. &ldquo;He did a job that I&rsquo;m pretty sure people didn&rsquo;t think he was able to do,&rdquo; said Westbrook, who previously was coached by Brooks with the Oklahoma City Thunder. &ldquo;He kept us together. He kept us encouraged. He kept us fighting.&rdquo;
BEAL
Beal is only the sixth player since the ABA-NBA merger to average at least 30 points in two consecutive seasons; he was the runner-up in the league scoring race each of the past two years. &ldquo;Eventually,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;I want to be an MVP-caliber player.&rdquo; The All-Star shooting guard has one year left on his deal and frequently is asked whether he believes the Wizards are in position to have real postseason success. &ldquo;We've built this team around Bradley,&rdquo; Sheppard said.
WESTBROOK
There were plenty of questions about how Westbrook &mdash; who arrived in a trade that sent franchise cornerstone John Wall to Houston &mdash; would fit in with Beal and the Wizards. Brooks didn't have any concerns. And Beal enjoyed their partnership. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s so crazy to hear all the rumors of how difficult he would be to play with,&rdquo; Beal said. Westbrook not only led the league in assists, averaged a triple-double and broke Oscar Robertson's NBA record for most triple-doubles in a career, he gets credit from Brooks and Sheppard for helping the team's younger players. &ldquo;Having Russ here was unbelievable,&rdquo; Beal said. &ldquo;I've done nothing but cherish his presence from the moment he got here.&rdquo;
YOUTH
Westbrook spoke after the season-ending Game 5 loss at the 76ers on Wednesday night about noticing all of the young faces on the team flight to Philadelphia and asking some of his teammates how old they are. Players such as Rui Hachimura, 23, or Daniel Gafford, 22, or Avdija, 20. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re not experienced right now,&rdquo; Brooks said, "but we gained a lot of experience."
SHEPPARD
As for his own future, Sheppard said, &ldquo;That's up to&rdquo; owner Ted Leonsis, but noted he is under contract and &ldquo;it's never been an issue.&rdquo; Heading into the offseason, Sheppard acknowledged the need for more depth and an athletic wing player as he does what he can to improve things. &ldquo;I'm not afraid,&rdquo; Sheppard said, &ldquo;to take big swings.&rdquo;
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

“We're not doing anything about that today,” Sheppard said before praising Brooks for “keeping this team together through some of the most difficult, dark moments probably in franchise history.”

Wizards GM Tommy Sheppard skirts topic of Scott Brooks' future after playoff exit

After spending eight-and-a-half years with the Orlando Magic, Nikola Vucevic was dealt to the Chicago Bulls two weeks ago in exchange for Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter Jr. and two first-round picks. Not only was this the biggest deal to go down prior to the trade deadline, but it was also the most shocking.&nbsp;
Of all the rumors that were circulating in the weeks leading up to the deadline, there weren&rsquo;t many involving Vucevic. Most reports indicated that Orlando wanted to keep their three-time All-Star, and that their asking price had been high when teams called to gauge his availability. All signs seemed to point to the Magic keeping Vooch...until they didn&rsquo;t.
With this deal, Chicago has bolstered its roster for a playoff push, and they can build around their All-Star duo&nbsp; -- Vucevic and Zach LaVine -- going forward. They have a nice mix of veterans (Vucevic, LaVine, Thaddeus Young, Tomas Satoransky, Daniel Theis, Garrett Temple, Al-Farouq Aminu) and youth (Lauri Markkanen, Coby White, Patrick Williams, Troy Brown Jr.).
For the Magic, they bring in two first-round picks and a 21-year-old as they rebuild. Orlando also dealt Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier, so it&rsquo;s clear that the team wants to add talent through the draft and develop their young core of Carter Jr. (21), Cole Anthony (20), Jonathan Isaac (23), Markelle Fultz (22), R.J. Hampton (20), Mo Bamba (22) and Chuma Okeke (22).
Since joining the Bulls, Vucevic is averaging 22.9 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting 51.7% from the field, 41% from three and 89.5% from the free throw line.
BasketballNews.com caught up with Vucevic for his first one-on-one interview since the blockbuster trade went down. He opened up about how he learned of the trade, why leaving Orlando was emotional for him and his family, forming a one-two punch with LaVine, his excitement about this Bulls squad, his first impression of Chicago and more.
How did you find out about the trade? Where were you?
Nikola Vucevic: &ldquo;I was actually with my son; I had taken him to this activity that he has because it was our day off. So, I went with him and then I got a call from the GM [John Hammond], and they just called me to let me know that the trade was happening. It wasn&rsquo;t out of nowhere, we&rsquo;d had discussions prior to it, so it was kind of mutual; it wasn&rsquo;t just out of nowhere. They pretty much just let me know that the trade was happening and said, &lsquo;You&rsquo;re going to Chicago.&rsquo; Honestly, even though I had an idea that it could happen, it was still a big shock to me. I&rsquo;d never been through it before. And I think the biggest thing for me is that I was in Orlando for so long and I had such a special bond with the franchise, the city, the fans, the people there. I pretty much grew up there. I went from a 21-year-old boy to a 30-year-old man who&rsquo;s married with two kids, so I don&rsquo;t know...it was definitely still a shock, and it took a little bit for me to adjust to it. After a few days, I was able to gather myself and it&rsquo;s been good. It&rsquo;s obviously part of the business that we&rsquo;re in and things like this happen and you just move on.&rdquo;
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Garrett Temple told me that the Bulls don&rsquo;t have many leaks, so their moves tend to be surprises. You mentioned that you were having discussions with the Magic about their trade talks. Did you know that Chicago was a possibility, or were you surprised when you heard that you were heading to the Bulls?
Vucevic: &ldquo;I was aware of the teams that were showing interest in me; I knew that there were a couple, but I didn&rsquo;t know where I&rsquo;d land or all of the details because that&rsquo;s something that the front office was handling. But I knew of the teams that were interested; I knew that part.&rdquo;
Let&rsquo;s talk about leaving Orlando. You were there for eight-and-a-half years, and you have many relationships with people there. But you and I have also talked about how off the court, your family loved it in Orlando. Your wife was comfortable there and your kids were happy. I think fans tend to focus on the basketball side of things when a trade happens, but you also have to relocate your family and leave a city you all loved.
Vucevic: &ldquo;Even with the basketball part, I became who I am with the Magic and I grew as a player there. I had a great relationship with the owners. We had two front offices [while I was there] and I had great relationships with both, along with the coaches, the players, everything. That&rsquo;s a big part, too. But I think, for me, what made it hardest was that, like I said, I had a very special bond with the city and the fans. I was there for so long. Both of my sons were born there and we had a very good life, very established. We had a lot of friends and everything, so you&rsquo;re leaving a big part of your life behind. That was the hardest part. You&rsquo;re going into this big change that&rsquo;s not only affecting me, but also my family. My wife has to move, my kids have to move -- although they&rsquo;re little, so they won&rsquo;t be as aware of it, but still; my son liked the daycare he was at and had a lot of friends there. My wife had a lot of friends there and had established a nice life. So, you think about all of that and it&rsquo;s not easy. If it had just been me, I think it would&rsquo;ve been easier because I could just relocate and it&rsquo;s whatever. But when you have to move your whole family, you&rsquo;re also thinking about how that affects them -- and actually, that was one thing that was really difficult, just making sure that my job doesn&rsquo;t affect them in a negative way. That&rsquo;s the first reaction that you have, which is normal, because it&rsquo;s a big move.&nbsp;
&ldquo;But then once I got to Chicago, all of the people were great to me and very welcoming -- people from the team, the players, the coaches, the front office, people in the city, everywhere. Even in the hotel that I stayed at the first couple of days, everybody was pretty excited. When you see that, it gets easier. And now, after two weeks, I&rsquo;ve found us a place to stay and I found a daycare for my son, so it just gets easier and easier. But I think it&rsquo;s normal once you go through a big change; it&rsquo;s always difficult -- especially when you were so attached to a place for so long. I had a lot of success there, and I had established so many great relationships with so many great people, which I&rsquo;ll have forever -- it&rsquo;s not like those will stop. It&rsquo;s just in that initial moment, it&rsquo;s very difficult because you have to leave all of that behind and go to a new place. It wasn&rsquo;t easy, but at the same time, I was also very excited to join the Chicago Bulls, which is an amazing organization with a lot of history. This is a team that I grew up watching a lot, being a big Michael Jordan fan, so you get excited about that. There&rsquo;s just this crazy mix of emotions that you deal with all at once.&rdquo;
What are your thoughts on this Bulls team and the group&rsquo;s potential going forward?
Vucevic: &ldquo;That&rsquo;s one thing I&rsquo;m very excited about: the team has great potential. It has very good structure, and we&rsquo;re built to be successful for years to come, which is very important in this league. Knowing Zach, he&rsquo;s one of the best players at his position in this league and he had a great year this year; he was an All-Star, and I think he will be one for many years to come. It&rsquo;s always great to play alongside a guy like that and it&rsquo;s going to make my life easier, and hopefully I can make his life easier as well on the court. But I believe in Zach and I, and once we really grow our chemistry and build that two-man game, I think we can be very, very good and help our team in many ways and make it difficult for other teams to defend us.&nbsp;
&ldquo;But we also have guys like Thad [Young] and Garrett [Temple] and guys who have been around the league for a long time. Especially Thad, this is Year 14 for him; I actually played my rookie year with him in Philly, so I&rsquo;ve known him for a while. You have [Tom&aacute;&scaron;] Satoransk&yacute;, who&rsquo;s only been in the NBA for five years, but he played overseas so he has a lot of experience as well. Then, we also have Lauri Markkanen, Coby White, Denzel Valentine and Pat Williams, and all of those guys are really good players. Then, we also brought in Daniel Theis in a trade, who&rsquo;s also an experienced player. There are some very good pieces and I&rsquo;m excited. It&rsquo;s a new start, and hopefully with my experience and my knowledge, I can help them get to a higher level, which is my goal. But so far, the whole experience has been very positive. I think I&rsquo;ve been fitting in pretty quickly, and I think it&rsquo;s been getting better each day and each game. We&rsquo;re only going to continue to grow and get better, and I think we&rsquo;re going to have success hopefully this season but also for years to come.&rdquo;
In Orlando, you were the focal point of the offense, so Zach should be able to take some of the pressure off of you and vice versa. You guys can be a terrific one-two punch.
Vucevic: &ldquo;Yeah, I&rsquo;m very excited. I&rsquo;ve never played with anyone who&rsquo;s as good of a scorer as Zach is, so I think it&rsquo;s going to be great for me to have a guy like that on the ball a lot. In some of the games, it&rsquo;s shown already in some of our two-man game action, although we haven&rsquo;t played together a lot. It&rsquo;s going to be hard to defend. I mean, when you&rsquo;re trying to guard a two-man game that has two very good players, two very good scorers, it&rsquo;s hard to defend because it&rsquo;s hard to take away both; one or the other is always going to have a chance to get open or create for themselves, or for the other guy or for somebody else on the team. With me and Zach, it&rsquo;s going to be awesome to play with him. Another thing about him is that he&rsquo;s very unselfish; he&rsquo;s a willing passer, he&rsquo;s willing to make the right play, and that&rsquo;s always a huge plus for the team. Honestly, so far, it&rsquo;s been good. Against Indy, he hit me on seven or eight pocket passes where I just had to shoot it; I made some, but I even missed some very easy ones. But we had a very good connection in that game, and hopefully we can continue to build that because I think it&rsquo;s going to be very important for the team and the success that we have.&nbsp;
&ldquo;But also, Zach has been great with [welcoming me]. As soon as I got traded, he called me and said he was very excited that I was coming. He was super happy, and he said if there was anything I needed in the city, he could help me. Things like a car, a place to stay, a chef or whatever, he said he could help me out because he&rsquo;s been there for a bit. That&rsquo;s always great to see, when you have the best player on the team welcoming you and helping you with things like that. I really appreciated it. He understands that it isn&rsquo;t easy to move, so I appreciated that.&rdquo;
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Earlier this season, we spoke about how this condensed schedule has been difficult. There&rsquo;s less practice time and not many days off. Is it tougher to get acclimated to a new team during this condensed season? Chicago added a number of new players at the deadline, so has it been tough to get everyone on the same page?
Vucevic: &ldquo;For sure. It&rsquo;s more difficult because you just don&rsquo;t have as much practice time and you play every other day and you have a lot of back-to-backs, so it&rsquo;s a little different than what it would be in a regular season. But it&rsquo;s the same for everyone else, for all of the other teams that also made moves, so we just have to adjust on the go. And I think we&rsquo;ve been doing a pretty good job of that, with Coach [Billy] Donovan and the rest of the coaching staff. They&rsquo;ve been doing a good job in meetings and in shootarounds and when we&rsquo;ve had practice of running through stuff and helping us with the plays, the defense, the schemes and all that. I think we&rsquo;ve been able to catch on pretty quickly, which is good. And I think what also helps is that this is a group of guys that is really unselfish and that plays team basketball, and we have a lot of high-IQ players, so that makes it easier to kind of fit in and just play ball. So, for sure, it&rsquo;s not easy at any point. And I think this season, you obviously have all of the COVID protocols and everything is limited, so it is a little more tricky. But I think we&rsquo;ve been doing good so far.&rdquo;
You haven&rsquo;t been in Chicago for too long, but what&rsquo;s been your first impression of the city and the fan base?
Vucevic: &ldquo;I was familiar with the city just from being in the league so long. Whenever we came to Chicago, I&rsquo;d always take advantage of it and try to walk around and visit it. And I&rsquo;m a huge restaurant guy and I know that Chicago has some of the best restaurants in the country, so I&rsquo;m very excited for that. Hopefully when COVID calms down or goes away soon and we can get back to normal life, [we can eat at some]. Hopefully, the vaccination helps; I got my first shot and I&rsquo;m supposed to get my second shot in a couple days. After that, it&rsquo;ll be easier. I&rsquo;m very excited about the city. I&rsquo;ve only visited part of it, but everybody has told me that it&rsquo;s an amazing city. Obviously, it&rsquo;s one of the best cities in America and people love it. But yeah, we&rsquo;re actually very excited for that part and to get to know the city and learn good areas, good places to go. We heard there are many great things that you can do with kids, so we&rsquo;re excited for that.
&ldquo;And then, the fan base has been great. On social media, they&rsquo;ve been good and they&rsquo;ve been welcoming; actually, my followers went up a bit so that&rsquo;s not bad (laughs). But even around the city, one day I was just walking around and going to visit the spot that we&rsquo;re going to move into, and fans around the city were recognizing me and welcoming me. Like I said, even some of the people who work at the hotel I was staying at were excited and welcoming. Obviously, I know that Chicago has a great fan base; it&rsquo;s one of the biggest, for sure, out of all the NBA teams. They&rsquo;re very into sports; it&rsquo;s one of the biggest sports cities in the country. I&rsquo;m excited for that and it&rsquo;ll be special. The Bulls are one of the biggest franchises and especially for our generation -- we all grew up watching MJ and Pippen and all of them dominate the league -- so we were all big Bulls fans, so I&rsquo;m very excited about that. The only thing is that I&rsquo;ll have to make sure we get some good winter clothing, which we aren&rsquo;t really used to (laughs). That will probably be the biggest adjustment, but it&rsquo;s okay.&rdquo;
Right now, the Bulls have the 10th-best record in the East. Have you guys talked about making the playoffs this season and made that a goal?&nbsp;
Vucevic: &ldquo;Yeah, for sure, that is their goal. Coach Donovan even emphasized that in the first meetings when all of us first arrived. I think that&rsquo;s an achievable goal. It&rsquo;s not going to be easy because a lot of teams are going to be fighting for those last couple of spots. Unless we get the sixth seed, we&rsquo;ll have to play in the play-in. It&rsquo;ll be easier if we get seventh or eighth and then we have to play, but if you&rsquo;re ninth or 10th, you have to play two [play-in] games. But I think it&rsquo;ll be huge if we can get to the playoffs. It&rsquo;ll be a great achievement for a lot of these young guys to have that experience and also for the franchise to get back to the playoffs after a couple of years. I think by making these moves, the Bulls already sent a strong message to the rest of the league that they really want to win now, but making the playoffs would send a strong message, too. And when you make that step and have some success, it also attracts other people to want to play for a team like that.&rdquo;
Having two All-Stars in a big market like Chicago, I think other stars will want to come play with you and Zach, too.
Vucevic: &ldquo;Hopefully!&rdquo;
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Nikola Vucevic talks with Alex Kennedy about leaving Orlando after eight years, joining the Bulls, playing with Zach LaVine and more.

Nikola Vucevic Q&A: 'We’re built to be successful for years to come'

Nekias Duncan dissects every detail of the moves that went down at Thursday's NBA trade deadline and gives them grades.

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NBA Sour Rankings: How to understand the spectrum of mediocrity

After beating the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat back-to-back, the Utah Jazz are now 22-5 and they&rsquo;ve won 18 of their last 19 games. Add reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to the long list of people they have impressed, as he had nothing but praise for the Jazz after they defeated his Bucks.&nbsp;
"[They're] the best team in the West," Antetokounmpo said. "It just looks fun. Like when I watch them play, it looks fun, it looks easy. It looks simple. For sure, they look like us last year, and man, when you're at that point and you're playing with that confidence, you're hard to beat, for sure.&rdquo;
The Jazz are very well-rounded team. They had four players score 20+ points against the Bucks: Rudy Gobert and Joe Ingles each had 27 points, while Donovan Mitchell poured in 26 (plus eight assists and six rebounds) and Jordan Clarkson contributed 25 off the bench. And in their victory over the Heat, five players scored in double-figures.
Now, let&rsquo;s revisit that awkward moment between Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal and Mitchell from the Jan. 21 episode of &ldquo;Inside the NBA.&rdquo;&nbsp;
During the post-game interview on TNT, Shaq told Mitchell: &ldquo;I said tonight that you are one of my favorite players, but you don&rsquo;t have what it takes to get to the next level. I said it on purpose, and I wanted you to hear it. What do you have to say about that?&rdquo;
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For context, Mitchell had just finished lighting up the scoreboard, dropping an efficient 36 points to lead Utah to their seventh-straight win. It was a very unexpected statement (to say the least) and the entire basketball world took a collective gasp.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Alright...&rdquo; Mitchell simply replied. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s it?&rdquo; Shaq asked. After a long, awkward pause and an attempt to shrug off the odd, untimely comment, Mitchell added: &ldquo;That&rsquo;s it. That&rsquo;s it. Shaq, I&rsquo;ve been hearing that since my rookie year. I&rsquo;m just going to get better and do what I do.&rdquo;
Shaq&rsquo;s comments were met with a great deal of criticism. Why would the NBA legend stoop to that level and try to publicly embarrass Mitchell? Was he trying to tear him down? Is Shaq an undeniable hater?
Some wondered if Shaq was attempting to motivate Mitchell. Was this some kind of 4D-chess, Zen-Master, Jedi-mind-trick move to light a fire under Mitchell and the entire Jazz team? Did he actually have good intentions, but the exchange was poorly executed? Maybe. 
Regardless, Mitchell and the Jazz have been proving Shaq wrong and making him eat his words.
Mitchell, 24, is averaging a career-high 24.2 points, 5.1 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game. Not only is his team sitting atop the Western Conference, they have the best record in the league. There have even been some whispers throughout the NBA that Mitchell should <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-mvp-most-valuable-player-odds-bets-oddsmakers-donovan-mitchell-utah-jazz-gambling-fanduel-betmgm-draftkings-award" target="_blank" rel="noopener">at least be mentioned on the list of MVP candidates</a>.
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However, the Jazz are far from a one-man show. This is a balanced offensive attack, with six players scoring in double-figures: Mitchell (24.2), Clarkson (17.4), Mike Conley (16.5), Bojan Bogdanovic (15.8), Gobert (14.0) and Ingles (11.3). Utah boasts historic three-point shooting, as they are making 16.7 three-pointers per game and shooting 39.5% percent from deep. This kind of efficiency is unprecedented; not even the Splash-Brothers-led Warriors or James-Harden-led Rockets shot the ball this well! Also, their terrific chemistry and impressive commitment to ball movement have been on display this season.
On the other end, the Jazz have the NBA&rsquo;s second-best defense, allowing just 104.5 points per 100 possessions. This team is committed to stifling opposing offenses and it helps that they have the NBA&rsquo;s premier defender locking down the paint. Gobert is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and the Jazz&rsquo;s anchor who sets the tone with his defense-first mentality.&nbsp;
Put this all together and you have a team that can dominate on both ends of the court, and that's exactly what they've done on most nights. At 22-5, this is the Jazz&rsquo;s best start in franchise history. Not bad for a team that Shaq said didn&rsquo;t have what it takes to win the championship.&nbsp;
Interestingly, during the Jazz&rsquo;s recent win over the Boston Celtics, Shaq took credit for Mitchell&rsquo;s play (although his numbers are almost identical to where they were prior to his public criticism).&nbsp;
&nbsp;"I never hate, I just try to give constructive criticism,&rdquo; Shaq said. &ldquo;My whole career I've been a leader and motivate my players a certain way. So, you're welcome Utah."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Shaq on Donovan Mitchell "I never hate, I just try to give constructive criticism. My whole career I've been a leader and motivate my players a certain way. So, you're welcome Utah." <a href="https://t.co/0BKUZ07EXa">pic.twitter.com/0BKUZ07EXa</a>
&mdash; gifdsports (@gifdsports) <a href="https://twitter.com/gifdsports/status/1359357636433620992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Perhaps people would've reacted differently to this exchange with Mitchell if this was the first time Shaq had done something of this nature, but he has developed quite a list of priors when it comes to hating. He has consistently taken shots at JaVale McGee, he&rsquo;s constantly bashing Dwight Howard, and he has repeatedly criticized Gobert ever since the big man signed his $200-million deal.&nbsp;
Recently, Howard was on <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-rumors-dwight-howard-los-angeles-lakers-philadelphia-76ers-free-agency-shaquille-shaq-oneal-married-championship-redemption-title" target="_blank" rel="noopener">my show, &ldquo;The Rematch,&rdquo;</a>&nbsp;and I asked him about Shaq&rsquo;s critiques. Why is Shaq always going after him? Is there some beef between them?
&ldquo;I have no clue! It's crazy,&rdquo; Howard said. &ldquo;When I first got to the [Lakers], me and JaVale was like, &lsquo;Yo, did you do something to Shaq?&rsquo; And he was like, &lsquo;Bro, I don't know, man! Like, he's always talking about us!&rsquo; And I'm like, &lsquo;Yeah, man, he is! It&rsquo;s crazy!&rsquo; Then, I was like, &lsquo;Man, let's jump him,&rsquo; and then we just laughed. (laughs) But I realize that you can't please everybody&hellip; The way you deal with that is kill him with kindness instead of going back and forth with him and saying things.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I still think he's probably the most dominant player to ever play the game. But if I had anything negative to say about him, I won't ever say that in the public eye or say it where people can hear it because I don't think it's necessary. He has family, has kids and people who love him, and I just wasn't brought up that way. So, I respect him for all the work he's done. I wish we could play each other again, so I could end this beef. (laughs) But I have a lot of love for him and the things he's done for the sport. And the way to beat him is to continue to play at a high level and not allow anything that's negative to get to my ears, and just stay focused.&rdquo;
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During BasketballNews.com&rsquo;s recent <a href="https://twitter.com/bballnewsdotcom/status/1353879647927332869">NBA Watch Party live-stream</a>, NBA All-Star Kenyon Martin shared how he would&rsquo;ve reacted if he were in Mitchell&rsquo;s position and Shaq made the same comment to him.
&ldquo;I would&rsquo;ve had a rebuttal and they would've had to go to commercial,&rdquo; Martin said. "I would've told Shaq exactly what he can do&hellip; Yeah, it would've been bad. Like, straight up: I just played my ass off out here and you got [something negative to say]? You don't know the work I put in. You don&rsquo;t know what I'm doing to enhance my game or make my team better. That&rsquo;s the problem, these dudes just be on TV [saying anything]... I don&rsquo;t need you to motivate me, Shaq. I can motivate myself. He basically told him he ain't getting it done.&rdquo;
Shaq may very well believe that he was &ldquo;motivating&rdquo; Mitchell by challenging him on live TV in front of the entire basketball world and telling him publicly that he didn&rsquo;t think he was good enough to lead the Jazz to a championship and then awkwardly asking for his reaction. But in reality, he could&rsquo;ve &ldquo;motivated&rdquo; him in a much different way. He could&rsquo;ve pulled him to the side as an OG who&rsquo;s held in high regard and respected throughout the league and challenged him behind closed doors instead of attempting to publicly embarrass him and crush his spirits on the NBA&rsquo;s biggest platform (&ldquo;Inside the NBA&rdquo;).
Best-case scenario? The Big Aristotle&rsquo;s strategy was to give the Jazz a villain or someone to hate, who they could then focus on proving wrong. But that may be giving Shaq too much credit. He may have simply transformed into the grumpy, old, get-off-my-lawn former player who gets his kicks by bashing younger players. We all hope it&rsquo;s not the latter. An apology to Donovan Mitchell and an admission that he was wrong would definitely help show that he isn&rsquo;t in that category. 
Everyone is wrong sometimes; it takes a big man to actually admit when that's the case.

Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz have been making Shaquille O'Neal eat his words, writes former NBA veteran Etan Thomas.

Shaquille O'Neal owes Donovan Mitchell a public apology

Sure, Montrezl Harrell is a mammoth of a man and tenacious defender, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was already oozing with confidence by the time he got the switch.&nbsp;
The young Canadian had already made a fool of Dennis Schroder on a few possessions, so when Kentavious Caldwell-Pope came with a hard show to trap the Oklahoma City Thunder&rsquo;s young star, Shai crossed over from left to right, faking the two defenders out of their shoes. He slithered to the rack and threw down a two-handed dunk.
Somewhere, Chris Paul was smiling.
Gilgeous-Alexander, of course, spent last season as Paul&rsquo;s understudy. And although Paul would&rsquo;ve probably finished the play off by finding a backdoor cutter, the entire sequence had Paul&rsquo;s fingerprints on it.
So know this: the journey to becoming a superstar in the NBA isn&rsquo;t as simple as giving a kid the ball and the keys to a franchise. More often than not, young players with promise have to learn as they go. Just like Gilgeous-Alexander did. Just like RJ Barrett, Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickley will.
Above all else, that&rsquo;s why the New York Knicks&rsquo; decision to run it back with Derrick Rose -- especially considering what they had to give up in exchange for him -- was a no-brainer.
It&rsquo;s disconcerting the extent to which NBA fans allow themselves to be peddled falsities. Once upon a time, we were told that tanking was the best way to building a contender. Not too long ago, we were led to believe that hoarding cap space was the way to sign impact free agents and more recently, for some reason, many have been led to believe that players with promise need to be force-fed the ball for 40 minutes per night.
You know what young players really need more than anything else? Guidance and experienced wisdom.
Neophytes need to learn how to win games and see, first-hand, what kind of commitment it takes to be successful in the NBA. They don&rsquo;t need to be on the receiving end of 30-point blowout losses or to be torn apart by the likes of Jrue Holiday or Patrick Beverley. They need veteran players whose attitudes and habits help them get to the next level. They need a coaching staff that connects with them and helps them develop their talents, and they need to be properly primed before they&rsquo;re entrusted with the marbles.
They need to marinate, and they need players who've been there and done that before them help with their seasoning. For the gross majority of players, this is fact even if&nbsp;some players &nbsp;-- LeBron James, Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell and Luka Doncic to name a few -- are ready from Day 1.
Far more players have been brought along slowly and surely. In a basketball culture that is often fooled into thinking there&rsquo;s only one way to do things, the want to see immediate dividends on the investment in a player with potential is understandable... It&rsquo;s just not usually the reality.
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About 25 years ago, a young backup guard named Sam Cassell was instrumental in helping deliver two NBA championships to the Houston Rockets. Nonetheless, he couldn&rsquo;t find a starting role playing behind a bevy of accomplished veterans that included Kenny Smith, Vernon Maxwell and Clyde Drexler.
Humbled, Cassell studied under the veterans, learned some lessons and applied the teachings in his subsequent stops. He ended up enjoying a fruitful career, to say the least.
The late, great Kobe Bryant became a starter in his third season, but only after it became apparent that he was the franchise&rsquo;s future and that Eddie Jones, Nick Van Exel and Derek Fisher didn&rsquo;t quite have the same gifts.
In more recent times, Draymond Green, CJ McCollum, Jaylen Brown and Fred VanVleet are examples of players who spent their first couple years fighting for their keep. Before Giannis Antetokounmpo was a two-time MVP, he was playing behind the likes of Ersan Ilyasova, John Henson, Larry Sanders and Zaza Pachulia. Same with Stephen Curry, who has preached patience with rookie James Wiseman and <a href="https://twitter.com/ThompsonScribe/status/1351418668131864577?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pointed out</a>&nbsp;that Curry himself "used to get benched for Acie Law."
In other words, most young NBA players are like seeds. They need to be planted, given proper conditions and some time. Not everyone comes into the league 100 percent ready, and that&rsquo;s fine. Nobody likes force-ripened fruit, anyway.
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That&rsquo;s exactly where players like Derrick Rose come in.
Given his relationship with Tom Thibodeau, the early returns suggest that he&rsquo;ll fit right in by providing the Knicks a much-needed attack guard who can help make the game easier for the team's youngsters, who&nbsp;Rose will ultimately help bloom.
At this point in his career, on an individual level, the former MVP is a player who has gone from the top of the mountain to the bottom of the barrel and back. Through it all, he&rsquo;s kept a positive attitude and persevered. A step slower and less athletic than he was 10 years ago, he's come to rely more on his ability to see through defenses and penetrate them than his blinding athleticism. At 32 years old, he plays the game more like an aging halfback who has to plan his cuts rather than a greyhound chasing a rabbit. As he&rsquo;s aged and enjoyed his renaissance, Rose has naturally become more methodical about his game. Those are qualities that any young guard would be wise to develop.
Serving as understudy worked out quite well for Gilgeous-Alexander. There's no reason to believe the same fate doesn't await Quickley and the Knicks' other promising youngsters.
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Although far from a front-office lifer, Leon Rose has spent a lot of time around the Knicks organization. In the recent past, New York has always sought the shortcut. In the end, they discovered that the only thing shortcuts are good for is making you bleed.
The road to respectability in the NBA -- a long, windy, treacherous one -- can only be successfully traversed with steps on the court.
Today more than ever, players watch one another, talk, share war stories, form relationships and create alliances, but nobody wants to join a sinking ship. No franchise-altering player will proactively take his talents to a losing franchise more renowned for its off-court shenanigans than on-court promise. So the first step toward helping the Knicks regain some respect around the NBA is to string together some wins, show some sort of developmental culture and overachieve relative to the individual parts. It&rsquo;s precisely <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-rumors-kevin-durant-kyrie-irving-brooklyn-nets-los-angeles-clippers-kawhi-leonard-paul-george-learn-mistakes-culture-kenny-atkinson-doc-rivers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">what the Brooklyn Nets did</a> and, if you look closely, it seems to be precisely what the Knicks are attempting to do. Rose is a means to that end.
Despite the Knicks' inclusion of Charlotte's second-round draft pick, trading Smith for Rose is a no-brainer. Rose provides the club with attributes they need that Smith didn&rsquo;t possess, and the 11-year veteran gets them closer to the playoffs than Smith would have.
For a franchise attempting to find its way, the Rose acquisition is a low-risk move with a potentially high reward, especially if Rose is able to impart any of his wisdom or teachings to Thibodeau&rsquo;s young and impressionable group of players.
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<div>So the next time Jaylen Brown draws praise or Gilgeous-Alexander impresses you, remember when they were seeds. Realize that now, in New York, they&rsquo;ve just begun planting.</div>
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With his experiences and wisdom, at this point in his career, Derrick Rose is properly cast on a young, upstart Knicks team.

Second time's the charm: Derrick Rose trade was right decision for Knicks

A month before the 2019-20 NBA season started, Kendrick Nunn made some bold predictions. Despite being an undrafted player on a non-guaranteed contract, he told me that he wanted to compete for the NBA&rsquo;s Rookie of the Year award. He shared some lofty long-term goals too.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m an All-Star player. I&rsquo;m a Hall of Famer,&rdquo; Nunn <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/status/1197921431532687360">told me</a>. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s my goal and I know that&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;m going to reach.&rdquo;
Fans saw these quotes and started cracking jokes. Many of them had never even heard of Nunn and they thought he was delusional. How could a 24-year-old undrafted prospect compete with the likes of Zion Williamson, Ja Morant and R.J. Barrett in the Rookie of the Year race?
Ten months later, Nunn finished second in Rookie of the Year voting behind Morant -- the best ROY finish for an undrafted player in NBA history -- and became the first undrafted player to win the Rookie of the Month award multiple times (in November, December and January).&nbsp;
Nunn emerged as a key contributor for the Heat, averaging 15.3 points, 3.3 assists, 2.7 rebounds, 2.0 threes and 0.8 steals on 43.9/35.0/85.0 shooting splits. And while his minutes decreased at the start of the playoffs, Nunn stayed ready and played a significant role for Miami during the NBA Finals (averaging 10.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 threes in 22.7 minutes). When asked about silencing those preseason doubters, Nunn smiles.
&ldquo;It be like that; it always has to come from within first and you have to show people and prove it to them,&rdquo; Nunn said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;m all about.&rdquo;
Now, Nunn is heating up again. His minutes dropped off to start the 2020-21 NBA season, but he&rsquo;s been playing more recently. Last night, he delivered one of the best performances of his NBA career to beat the Toronto Raptors, finishing with 28 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 threes and 1 steal while shooting 9-12 from the field, 4-6 from three and 6-6 from the free-throw line.
Over the last two contests (both of which Miami won), Nunn averaged 23.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 3.0 threes and 1.5 steals on 63.0/60.0/100.0 shooting splits.&nbsp;
BasketballNews.com recently sat down with Nunn to discuss his development, what he learned from the Heat&rsquo;s Finals run, trade rumors, living in Miami, his relationships with teammates and more.
You finished as the runner-up in the Rookie of the Year race, and the other two finalists were the No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the draft (Zion Williamson and Ja Morant). What did it mean to you to get the second-most votes?
Kendrick Nunn: &ldquo;It meant a lot. To even be in that position, it just showed all of the hard work that I put in - the things that I did and the belief I had in myself. [It felt good] just to show the world, just to prove to everyone what kind of player I am and what I can do.&rdquo;
Do you feel like you should&rsquo;ve won the Rookie of the Year award over Ja Morant?
KN: &ldquo;Of course! Of course I should&rsquo;ve won. I mean, if you think about it, [when have we seen] someone who was under the radar and who nobody knew and then they win multiple Rookie of the Months and has a season like that? It&rsquo;s really rare for an undrafted player to perform like that and have the kind of season that I had. Obviously, it&rsquo;s expected that a lottery pick -- the No. 1 pick or No. 2 pick or No. 3 pick -- will win that award. So, just from a &lsquo;shocking-the-world&rsquo; thing, I feel like I should&rsquo;ve won.&rdquo;
I don&rsquo;t think people realize how hard it is to make it as an undrafted player. You&rsquo;re fighting to get noticed and land on a team; then, you have to battle for your roster spot and a guaranteed contract. What were some of the challenges you faced as an undrafted player? 
[Note: Nunn slipped on draft night in large part because he <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/2018/02/23/oakland-basketball-kendrick-nunn-greg-kampe/331983002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plead guilty to a misdemeanor battery charge</a> after an incident with an ex-girlfriend. Because of this incident, he was dismissed from the University of Illinois' basketball team and transferred to Oakland University. If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE.]
KN: &ldquo;I mean, there are a bunch of challenges. You need to have confidence in yourself and then you need to prove yourself every day. You can&rsquo;t slack; you have to show up every day and be elite at that level. I mean, the challenges come from all over the place. Adversity can hit at any time, so the thing is just fighting it and overcoming that.&rdquo;
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What advice would you give to the guys in this class who just went undrafted?&nbsp;
KN: &ldquo;I would just want to tell them that the journey isn&rsquo;t over. This could be the beginning of your journey. You&rsquo;re going to get a chance to go to training camp with a team and to try to make that roster. I would also tell them: Don&rsquo;t put your head down, just continue to work. Opportunities come left and right, so just be ready for them.&rdquo;
What did you learn from playing in the NBA Finals last season?
KN: &ldquo;That was a crazy experience. I mean, that&rsquo;s the highest level of basketball -- it don&rsquo;t get any higher-level than that. And I learned a lot. Just the style of play, what it takes to [produce] in the playoffs, what it takes to win a game in the playoffs, what it takes to win a series&hellip; The pace is different. You have to really lock into personnel and the tendencies of different players. The style of play is a lot different than the regular season too, so just getting used to that and comfortable with that will help me in the future, for sure.&rdquo;
What was it like to play on basketball&rsquo;s biggest stage, knowing that millions of people were watching?&nbsp;
KN: &ldquo;It was fun, man. It was fun. The entire world was watching. That was the only basketball that was being played at the time, so you know that the entire world is watching, and you just want to play well and you want to win. That&rsquo;s the only thing that was going through my mind, just trying to lock in, focus, pay attention to details, try to win every possession and play my best. But I love [playing on that stage]. I&rsquo;m in an empty gym working on my game and practicing so that when the lights are on and everybody&rsquo;s watching, everything becomes easy -- it&rsquo;s second nature.&rdquo;&nbsp;
At the start of the playoffs, you fell out of the rotation for a bit and there were some games you didn&rsquo;t play. That&rsquo;s happened again at times to start this season. What did you learn from that experience and how are you handling that?
KN: &ldquo;There was definitely some adversity there. It was tough. As a young guy, my first year in the NBA, after starting throughout the majority of the season and then having to come off the bench during the playoffs and things like that and then almost not playing at all during the first series, it was definitely tough, mentally. But I think I&rsquo;m just a different type of player and have a different type of mental toughness where I can get through things like that. I just see where I can improve and not get down on myself and just continue to try to stack good days on top of each other and just continue to get better.&rdquo;
It can be difficult for players to transition from starting and knowing what minutes you&rsquo;ll be playing every night to coming off the bench and not knowing when you&rsquo;ll check in or how long you&rsquo;ll be out there. And when you check in off the bench, you&rsquo;re cold too. I&rsquo;ve talked with Jamal Crawford about this: it&rsquo;s not easy to provide instant offense off the bench and deal with your minutes fluctuating.
KN: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s different. You just have to know what type of situation you&rsquo;re in. Being ready is the most important thing. If you get thrown in, you can&rsquo;t get out there and not be aggressive. Once you get out there, if you aren&rsquo;t getting as much time, as soon as you&rsquo;re out there you&rsquo;ve gotta be aggressive and play the right way. If you do that, things will fall in line. &hellip; I&rsquo;m just doing everything I can [to stay ready] and whatever Coach needs me to do, I&rsquo;m doing that. I&rsquo;m bringing my strengths to the table and I think things will fall in line.&rdquo;
Your name has popped up in trade rumors a bit over the last year. Do you keep up with trade rumors or do you try to block them out?&nbsp;
KN: &ldquo;I pretty much block them out unless my agent contacts and tells me that there&rsquo;s a possibility that I could get traded. Anything on social media and stuff, obviously I&rsquo;m on there so it comes up and I read it, but I try to just ignore it and stick to what my team tells me.&rdquo;
There&rsquo;s been a lot of talk about the Heat&rsquo;s culture and how they do things. Since arriving in Miami, what do you think of their culture and how you&rsquo;ve fit in with it?
KN: &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s a perfect spot for me. I think I landed in the place where I needed to be and where I&rsquo;m most comfortable. I love to work hard. I&rsquo;m a worker, and that&rsquo;s what we do here. That&rsquo;s what the coaches are all about, just working hard and getting better. So, I fit perfectly.&rdquo;
What aspects of your game were you focused on improving over the offseason?
KN: &ldquo;Just tightening my game all around -- ball-handling and shooting because you can never get enough of that; I&rsquo;m constantly trying to get better at that. Pick-and-rolls, extending my range at the three-point line, getting stronger, getting my body more intact. Just becoming more elite, that&rsquo;s really what I&rsquo;ve been working on.&rdquo;
What are some of your goals for this season - individually and as a team?
KN: &ldquo;This season, my No. 1 goal is I want to run it back to the NBA Finals. We gotta get that Finals win. (smiles) That was kind of upsetting to me that we didn&rsquo;t get that win, and we could have. Personally, I just want to become better in all areas of the game -- all of my stats, how I contribute to the team and just be better. I definitely want to be an All-Star this season, and I&rsquo;m working hard to do it.&rdquo;
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You went from playing in the NBA Finals in October to starting a new season in late-December. How did the condensed offseason impact you and this team as a whole?&nbsp;
KN: &ldquo;Well, this was really my first offseason in the NBA, so I really haven&rsquo;t experienced a &lsquo;full&rsquo; NBA offseason, which is usually four or five months, I think. So, the short offseason didn&rsquo;t feel too bad to me. I took a couple weeks off after the season and then I just got right back to work, and my body felt good. So, I felt like I was ready to go.&rdquo;
You and Tyler Herro are both terrific scorers and up-and-coming players in Miami. What&rsquo;s your relationship with Tyler like?
KN: &ldquo;Man, Tyler, that&rsquo;s my brother. Me and him talk every day, and we challenge each other every day too. I love that relationship with him because we&rsquo;re so close, but we&rsquo;re also so competitive. You know what I mean? We&rsquo;re both always looking to win or get an advantage over the other, so it&rsquo;s a fun relationship. We have a lot in common. He&rsquo;s from Milwaukee and that&rsquo;s not too far from Chicago, so he&rsquo;s got some [of that] DNA in him, you know what I mean?!&rdquo;
Jimmy Butler had been labeled as a tough teammate and his leadership was questioned in the past (perhaps unfairly), but he&rsquo;s been a terrific fit in Miami. You guys seem to love his leadership style and it works to bring the best out of this team. What&rsquo;s been your experience with Jimmy and how is your relationship with him?
KN: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been great. Jimmy has been very helpful for me and he just feeds confidence to everyone on the team. And the way he plays and his unselfishness, you don&rsquo;t see that in many top-tier guys in the league. There aren&rsquo;t many stars who are unselfish like that and play the way he does and lead the way he does, so I&rsquo;m not sure where people got that &lsquo;bad-teammate&rsquo; narrative from. He&rsquo;s a great leader and I&rsquo;m very thankful for him.&rdquo;
I feel like he&rsquo;s very misunderstood.
KN: &ldquo;Yeah, definitely. I mean, if you&rsquo;re, like, sensitive, maybe he comes off [a certain way] and you wouldn&rsquo;t like him. I mean, he&rsquo;s very straight-forward. But if you&rsquo;re about winning and you want to get better, Jimmy is one of the guys you&rsquo;d love to have on your team.&rdquo;
Over the offseason, there was <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/30335854/nba-free-agency-winners-losers-wild-week">a report from ESPN</a> that some people around the NBA viewed Miami&rsquo;s Finals run as a fluke and that you guys aren&rsquo;t viewed as a threat to contend this season now that you&rsquo;re no longer playing in the bubble and benefitting from that set-up. What would you say to that?
KN: &ldquo;There&rsquo;s always going to be haters. When we came to the bubble, we knew that there was an opportunity to win a championship. That&rsquo;s our mentality every year -- that we&rsquo;re going to try to win the championship. Fluke or not, we went to the Finals and we&rsquo;re going to try to do it again this year.&rdquo;
How have you enjoyed living in Miami? KN: &ldquo;I love Miami. It&rsquo;s been very different to get away from the cold weather because, as you know, I&rsquo;m from Chicago. The weather here is perfect year-round. I can go down to the beach in December and get a workout in. That&rsquo;s the best part of why I love living here. It&rsquo;s just a great workout spot. Like, who doesn&rsquo;t want to go out to the beach and work out in the sand year-round?! You can go outside and enjoy yourself whenever!&rdquo;

Kendrick Nunn opens up about his development, finishing second in ROY voting, trade rumors, lessons from Miami's Finals run and more.

Kendrick Nunn Q&A: 'My No. 1 goal is running it back to the NBA Finals'

Ethan Fuller takes a look at how the James Harden trade and other weekly events have affected the NBA landscape.

NBA Sour Rankings: Life After a Blockbuster

Ethan Fuller breaks down the biggest takeaways from the NBA preseason.

NBA Sour Rankings: Preseason Overreactions

After falling short in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder responded in the best way possible by delivering a dominant performance in Game 2. Their emphatic 123-107 win over the Indiana Pacers was a display of strategic adjustments, improved production from key contributors, and continued mental toughness that has defined their season.
Here are the biggest takeaways from Game 2:
Aaron Wiggins makes the most of his moment
Every NBA Finals features a surprise contributor who seizes the spotlight, and in Game 2, that player was Aaron Wiggins. The 26-year-old wing delivered 18 points in just 20 minutes off the bench after only just playing 9 minutes in Game 1, giving the Thunder a massive lift. Whether it was spotting up for threes, slashing to the rim, or capitalizing on defensive lapses, Wiggins was relentless and efficient.
His energy, activity, and versatility on both ends allowed OKC to maintain momentum when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander rested. Wiggins not only outscored every Pacers starter &ndash; he made it clear that he&rsquo;s more than a role player that can light it up whenever given the chance on this stage.
OKC&rsquo;s double big lineups make their mark
One of the most important adjustments from Game 1 was Mark Daigneault&rsquo;s decision to lean more heavily on the double-big look with Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. That pairing proved dominant in Game 2.
Together, they posted a +16 in their minutes on the floor &ndash; a strong indicator of their effectiveness. The duo controlled the paint, altered countless shots, and even connected on a highlight-reel alley-oop that underscored their improving chemistry.
This look not only gave OKC a size advantage but also neutralized Indiana&rsquo;s interior scoring, a key difference from Game 1.
OKC defense stifles Tyrese Haliburton
Tyrese Haliburton struggled in Game 2 as he failed to make a significant impact against OKC&rsquo;s disciplined defense. The Thunder's perimeter defenders &ndash; especially Lu Dort and Alex Caruso &ndash; cut off driving lanes, forced tough shots, and made him work for every inch of space.
Although Haliburton finished with 17 points, he dished out only 5 assists and had 5 turnovers, which well below his usual standard. If Indiana wants to regain control of the series, they&rsquo;ll need their All-Star floor general to find ways to adapt and reassert himself.
The others step up big for the Thunder
What Indiana did so well in Game 1 &ndash; getting contributions from across the roster &ndash; was flipped completely in Game 2 by Oklahoma City. While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continued to lead the way, the Thunder had four other players score at least 15 points.
Jalen Williams (18 points) and Chet Holmgren (17) played much more assertively as the No. 2 and 3 options, but it was the bench production that stole the show. Alex Caruso poured in 20 points and Aaron Wiggins added 18. Combined, they outscored every individual Pacers player, including Indiana's starters.
This kind of collective performance is what makes the Thunder so dangerous. On any given night, they have multiple players capable of swinging a game.
Resilient Thunder bounce back yet again
One thing has held true all season for OKC &ndash; they don&rsquo;t let losses linger.
With this Game 2 win, the Thunder improved to 18-2 following a loss this season (including the in-season NBA Cup, which doesn&rsquo;t count in official standings). Even more impressively, 12 of those 18 bounce-back wins have come by double digits.
OKC has yet to lose back-to-back games in these playoffs. In fact, they&rsquo;ve only lost two consecutive games twice all season. That kind of short memory and mental toughness has been one of their greatest strengths &ndash; and it showed up again on the league&rsquo;s biggest stage.
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With the series now tied 1-1, the Finals shift to Indiana, where the Pacers have thrived all postseason. But if Game 2 taught us anything, it&rsquo;s that this Thunder team has the personnel, the coaching, and the resilience to keep adjusting and keep fighting.
Game 3 promises to be a battle &ndash; but after this dominant response, Oklahoma City has firmly reasserted itself in the series.

Thunder dominate Game 2 of the NBA Finals: Aaron Wiggins steps up, OKC's double bigs shine, and Haliburton struggles.

Thunder-Pacers Game 2 Takeaways: What we learned from Game 2

Many people were pleasantly surprised to hear the news that Michael Jordan opened his fourth free health clinic in his home state of North Carolina. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/in-this-trump-era-michael-jordans-free-health-clinics-are-very-much-needed-">This new clinic, established in collaboration with Novant Health, focuses on providing care to uninsured and underinsured patients.</a>&nbsp;
This is a stark contrast to the overall perception of Michael Jordan as the athlete who doesn&rsquo;t care about his community or anything outside of himself.&nbsp;
I figured it was a good time to revisit an interview i conducted with Athlete Activist Legend Craig Hodges for <a href="https://www.akashicbooks.com/catalog/police-brutality-and-white-supremacy-the-fight-against-american-traditions/">my book Police Brutality And White Supremacy &ldquo;The Fight Against American Traditions."</a>
Here is an excerpt of our interview in which Craig Hodges goes back to 1991 when the Rodney King beating happened and he was frustrated that Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson in particular were reluctant to make a public statement during the NBA Finals.&nbsp;
During the interview, I made the correlation to the movie &ldquo;One Night In Miami&rdquo; in which Malcolm X was frustrated with Sam Cooke, but was proud to see the eventual maturation and realization of the power of his voice. This was really a powerful discussion. I condensed the interview for the purposes of this article.
Etan: What were your thoughts after you first saw the Rodney King beating ?&nbsp;
Craig Hodges: The biggest part was just the shock. Seeing four or five policemen pummeling the brother mercilessly with their night sticks. And the manner in which they did it was just left me speechless. It was beyond brutality. I looked at it and said regardless to what the Brotha did, no human being deserves to be beaten like that. You had 4 or 5 cops surrounding him, he was on the ground, there are measures you can take to subdue him without beating him like that. But unfortunately, this has been the mentality of policing in America for generations and nothing has changed but with Rodney King that was one of the first times everyone could see it happening in real time. And the fact that someone was smart enough to tape it brought it to America.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/2-etan-thomas-2_690w.jpeg" alt="" width="745" height="477" />
Etan: I remember being in middle school and the first thing I thought was they wouldn&rsquo;t treat a dog like this.
Craig Hodges: Exactly, and this happened right at the beginning of the NBA Finals and some athletes were speaking about it others weren&rsquo;t but I was like, any and everybody should be able to speak to this because this could be your brother this could be your father or your uncle. And it was just too obvious and blatant what was going on as far as the racism and the evil of police brutality right there for all of America to see&nbsp;
Etan: It was really horrifying like traumatizing for me seeing that as a kid.
Craig Hodges: It was traumatizing for me as an adult. Things like this is what made me feel the need to have to be vocal while I was playing in the league. I was an athlete but this goes for everyone no matter what your occupation is, you have to be able to stand on truth and for what is right and to call out what&rsquo;s wrong. We as a society have been collectively letting so much slide and we just can&rsquo;t allow it anymore. And we have left a lot on the table for the next generation to fight for, and they are fighting for now. &nbsp;
Etan: The frustrating part is the bar is set so low. We&rsquo;re starting the discussion just fighting for our humanity.
Craig Hodges: We get caught up so much of our differences whether we&rsquo;re Republican, Democrat, Christian, Muslim, all of these different labels that divides us. Yes we are all humans and that&rsquo;s the basis that we should be unified on. Kwame Ture told us it&rsquo;s all about organization and we have to all bring what we can to the table and we all have different strengths and attributes and we have to use all of them for this fight.
Etan Thomas: It&rsquo;s interesting you say that, there is this movie One night in Miami, fantastic movie, that depicts a night in Miami with Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, and Sam Cooke. There is a part where Malcolm X and Sam Cooke are having a back and forth and Malcolm X is challenging him, and you&rsquo;re the first person I thought of when I saw this, he&rsquo;s telling Sam Cooke listen, you&rsquo;re the most talented Brotha on earth, your voice can captivate audiences both Black and white, you have all this power, you can play in white venues and be accepted, other musicians can&rsquo;t do that. And then he told him, you&rsquo;re not using the power for good. You&rsquo;re not challenging what is happening to us in society. Malcolm X said to him Black People are dying in the streets and we cannot afford to straddle the fence anymore. We have to pick a side, either you&rsquo;re on the side with us or you&rsquo;re on the side with them. And it was this intense discussion with them. And you know where I&rsquo;m going with this. Did you ever feel that level or frustration in relation to what we&rsquo;re talking about now with Rodney King and everything that was happening to us at that time. And you want to do that recruiting that Kwame Toure was talking about and that unification and strength in numbers but you see some people just not on board with it and thus the frustration.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/2-etan-thomas-3_690w.jpeg" alt="" width="732" height="732" />
Craig Hodges: Yes I know exactly where you&rsquo;re going with this and to answer your question yes I did. And trying to get someone to see it is one hurdle, but to get someone to feel it is a whole nother mountain to climb. I feel blessed that i was raised the way I was raised so a lot of things, I didn&rsquo;t have to figure out. We&rsquo;re at that point now where there is enough information out for people to be able to easily educate themselves as to what&rsquo;s going on. There&rsquo;s really no excuse right now. You can&rsquo;t say, I didn&rsquo;t know about this anymore because it&rsquo;s everywhere. During the 90s when Rodney King happened, we had great athletes who were similar to Sam Cooke as far as their leverage in white communities and not nation wide but world wide, and the option was, do I make a stand or do I get paid ? And that&rsquo;s what it boiled down to and people were hesitant because they were afraid that it would hamper their ability to earn. And that has been the common denominator in us coming up short. Those who have been in position to really make a difference don&rsquo;t. And what I saw from a lot of athletes was I&rsquo;ll play my career and then come back after and revisit Black people and Black Issues after. And from my standpoint, during the time where you are making the wealth and you have the bully pulpit to speak from, utilize that. You may not be able to be all out Malcolm X with it, but you can definitely have impact. The Rodney King incident really brought to life what Black People have been facing for centuries and that&rsquo;s something that not just athletes, but everyone should be able to speak on.&nbsp;
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/2-etan-thomas-4_690w.png" alt="" width="738" height="414" />
Etan Thomas: And one thing that was great about the movie One Night In Miami was at the end it showed Malcolm&rsquo;s impact on Sam Cooke. He was on this program, and was singing the songs that they liked, and then he said he wanted to sing a song that hadn&rsquo;t been released yet and it was A Change Is Gonna Come. And it was passionate and moving and Sam Cooke dropped a tear at the end and they showed Malcolm X looking and he was smiling and it was beautiful to see because even though they were arguing and they were really arguing like almost came to blows arguing, but you saw that he heard Malcolm X. Now, I want to make this correlation to you and Michael Jordan because people still write it now and say Craig Hodges was talking bad about Michael Jordan and no it wasn&rsquo;t that and it wasn&rsquo;t personal but you saw MJ and the impact he could have had the same way Malcolm X saw the impact Sam Cooke could have had in particular after Rodney King happened.
Craig Hodges: When Rodney King happened it was a galvanizing time. Right before the 91 NBA Finals with Michael and Magic and we can have an impact, we have the whole world watching, all eyes are on us.&nbsp;
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/2-etan-thomas-5_690w.jpeg" alt="" width="729" height="926" />
And to think about how my Mom was organizing in the early 60&rsquo;s, she was having this tremendous impact with no resources, and here we are with all of the resources of the NBA Finals with the two biggest athletes in the game and the impact you can make just from your voice would be amazing. And that&rsquo;s what I was trying to talk to Magic and MJ about especially after Rodney King. And here&rsquo;s the thing, in private, we all were having discussions about what was going on, but then in public, we went quiet and we simply can&rsquo;t be private anymore. And now we&rsquo;re at the point where people outside of our community are feeling our pain. And that&rsquo;s what Malcolm was telling Sam Cooke, hey to talk to them white folks at their clubs and that was my position with MJ on a lot of things. I would say hey, you have the ear of a lot of people that I can&rsquo;t reach. So yea that&rsquo;s a very good comparison.
Etan Thomas: Now I&rsquo;mma make one last correlation, I said how Malcolm X watched Sam Cooke on the program singing A Change Is Gonna Come and he was smiling, did you ever feel that after watching Michael Jordan in the last 10 years or so as MJ has become more vocal, spoken out against police brutality on numerous occasions, he even put together a whole fundraiser for Obama and brought 50 different NBA athletes to join him. That&rsquo;s a long way from &ldquo;Republicans Buy Shoes Too."
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/2-etan-thomas-6_690w.jpeg" alt="" width="730" height="1291" />
Craig Hodges: Oh yes. I love it. People have to understand that everyone grows at different points in their lives and I definitely feel like that (proud) every time I see not only MJ and Magic but all the young athletes like Lebron and this current generation of athletes, it&rsquo;s great to see.

I figured it was a good time to revisit an interview i conducted with Athlete Activist Legend Craig Hodges for my book Police Brutality And White Supremacy “The Fight Against American Traditions."

Craig Hodges discusses the  maturation of Michael Jordan

The Memphis Grizzlies have seen significant contributions this season from two unexpected sources in guard Scotty Pippen Jr. and center Jay Huff. Once teammates on the Los Angeles Lakers&rsquo; bench and in the G League, Huff and Pippen Jr. have now found a place to thrive in Memphis, proving to be reliable pieces for the Grizzlies off the bench.&nbsp;
Jay Huff, a 7-foot center, first made his mark at the University of Virginia. Known for his shot-blocking abilities and efficient shooting from the outside, Huff helped anchor Virginia&rsquo;s defense, contributing to their reputation as one of the toughest defensive teams in the NCAA. Despite these strengths, he went undrafted in 2021, eventually signing a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. Huff spent much of his time with the Lakers&rsquo; G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, where he continued to develop his rim protection and shooting touch. He also spent some time with the summer league team of the Orlando Magic, where he had a solid outing that led Memphis to pick him up in the offseason.
Scotty Pippen Jr., son of Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, also found his path through the G League after going undrafted out of Vanderbilt. At Vanderbilt, he displayed his playmaking skills, leading his team in scoring and assists. However, like Huff, he wasn&rsquo;t initially picked in the NBA draft and signed with the Lakers on a two-way contract, also playing for the South Bay Lakers.&nbsp;
Both players took full advantage of their time in the G League, honing their skills and awaiting a chance to make a larger impact in the NBA. However, both sides did not pan out and LA chose to release both guys.
Now with the Memphis Grizzlies, both Huff and Pippen Jr. are seizing their opportunities. Huff&rsquo;s defensive presence has been particularly impactful, providing Memphis with a much-needed shot-blocker off the bench. His ability to protect the paint has been a welcome addition, especially with injuries affecting some of Memphis&rsquo;s key frontcourt players. Huff&rsquo;s height and defensive instincts make him a tough matchup in the paint, where he averages close to 2 blocks per game (1.9). 
He&rsquo;s also shown an impressive shooting efficiency, both from the field and beyond the arc, allowing Memphis to space the floor even with a big man on the court. Huff is a scorching hot 48 percent on his threes, as he became one of the best shooting big men in the league this early into the season. One of his standout performances included an 18-point game, underscoring his scoring potential when given the opportunity.
Pippen Jr., meanwhile, is thriving in his role as a playmaker and secondary ball-handler. His passing has helped stabilize Memphis&rsquo;s second unit, and he has displayed the ability to score in bursts when needed. Recently, he logged a double-double, finishing with 11 points and 11 assists&mdash;a testament to his growth as a floor general. Pippen Jr. is averaging career highs across the board with 12.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 6.5 assists. His court vision, combined with his knack for finding open teammates, has made him an essential part of Memphis&rsquo;s bench rotation, providing valuable relief minutes and keeping the offense fluid while the starters rest.
Both Huff and Pippen Jr. have found in Memphis what they couldn&rsquo;t quite establish in Los Angeles&mdash;a defined role that plays to their strengths. Huff&rsquo;s defensive skill set and shooting from the 5 position complements Memphis&rsquo;s hard-nosed, physical style on defense and a driving, paint-oriented style on offense as he spaces the floor well, while Pippen Jr.&rsquo;s playmaking and scoring ability off the bench provide depth to the Grizzlies&rsquo; backcourt. This fit speaks to the patience and persistence both players exhibited in the G League and in limited NBA minutes until their breakthrough moments arrived.
Their success also highlights the value of the G League as a development pipeline. Both Huff and Pippen Jr. used their time in the G League to fine-tune their skills and stay prepared for NBA call-ups. Now that they have regular minutes, they are proving that their time in the development league wasn&rsquo;t wasted; it prepared them to thrive when the moment finally came. Huff&rsquo;s ability to anchor the paint and contribute scoring when needed, along with Pippen Jr.&rsquo;s floor leadership, are assets Memphis has needed this season.
Their journeys reflect the resilience and adaptability required to break through in the NBA, going from college standouts to the G League, and now to productive roles in the league. They found themselves fighting for recognition, and have now established themselves as reliable and effective pieces in Memphis&rsquo;s rotation. This is a reminder of how hard work can translate to real NBA success. For the Grizzlies, Huff and Pippen Jr. are proving that sometimes, the best additions come from players who just needed a chance to shine.

Former Lakers Jay Huff and Scotty Pippen Jr. are making an impact off the bench for the Grizzlies, excelling in defined roles.

Former Lakers Huff, Pippen Jr. thriving in roles at Memphis

Young point guards Quincy Olivari and Yuki Kawamura have been rewarded by their respective ball clubs after impressing in the preseason.
The Los Angeles Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies both gave out two-way NBA contracts to the young guards, upgrading their previous Exhibit 10 deals.&nbsp;
To make the move, the Lakers had to waive two-way center Colin Castleton and guard Grayson Murphy, allocating the space to Olivari.
The 22-year-old Olivari in his preseason stint with the Lakers, having totals of 35 points on 12-23 shooting, 8-14 3PT, 14 rebounds, and 4 assists across 4 games.
Olivari particularly stood out for the Lakers in their game against the Milwaukee Bucks and the Golden State Warriors, providing necessary energy on both ends of the floor.
Olivari quickly became the best wholesome story of the whole preseason <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/undrafted-lakers-guard-quincy-olivari-gets-emotional-after-exchange-with-stephen-curry-thats-my-favorite-player-ever">after his exchange with lifetime favorite player Stephen Curry.</a>
Kawamura, 23, has also shined for the Grizzlies in a similar way by fighting over screens and playing on and off ball defense with a concerted effort despite just standing at 5-foot-8.
Kawamura has been a playmaker for the Grizzlies&rsquo; offense and will now be the shortest active player in the NBA &ndash; and the ninth player 5-foot-8 or shorter since the merger.
The Japanese guard&rsquo;s play has caught Memphis&rsquo; eye and this has resulted in a two-way contract. The Grizzlies brought in Kawamura this offseason following a strong performance for Japan at the Olympics, where he nearly led his country to a monumental upset against Victor Wembanyama and hosts France. Kawamura stood tall amongst the giants by pouring in 29 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists despite falling short in the end.
Kawamura averaged 3.4 points, 4.2 assists and 15.1 minutes in preseason, leading Grizzlies with 21 total assists, and has now earned a roster spot.
In other news, the New York Knicks have waived guard Landry Shamet after he suffered a dislocated shoulder.&nbsp;
The Knicks are expected to keep 12 standard roster players and look to bring Shamet back once he recovers after averaging 0.8 PPG on 36% FG and 30% 3PT in the preseason.&nbsp;
The Knicks also waived Chuma Okeke and TJ Warren in the process.

Young point guards Quincy Olivari and Yuki Kawamura have been rewarded by their respective ball clubs after impressing in the preseason.

Olivari, Kawamura get rewarded by Lakers, Grizzlies after strong preseason play

The 2024 NBA Las Vegas Summer League is officially underway with the league&rsquo;s brightest rookies and young stars put to the test to hone their games and develop their wares to be ready come the official NBA season. Here are some of the players who stood out on the 1st day of action.
Anthony Black and Jett Howard, Orlando Magic
The duo was the Magic&rsquo;s first-round picks just a year ago and just in their first game both Black and Howard showed some promising developments that could catapult them into the team&rsquo;s rotation moving forward.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Magic's Summer League backcourt today: Anthony Black 📊 20 PTS | 6-9 FG | 4 STL Jett Howard 📊 22 PTS | 5-10 3P | 4 AST Bright future ahead ✨ <a href="https://t.co/vYVp2HvkzS">pic.twitter.com/vYVp2HvkzS</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1811892100755259632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 12, 2024</a></blockquote>

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Reed Sheppard, Houston Rockets
This year&rsquo;s third overall pick showed out against the Lakers dropping an efficient 23-ball alongside manning the offense for the Rockets. Sheppard looked like he has all the makings of a solid PG in the NBA, which locks in Houston&rsquo;s core for the foreseeable future alongside young studs Jabari Smith Jr., Amen Thompson, and Cam Whitmore.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Reed Sheppard tonight: 🟥 23 PTS 🟥 9-17 FG 🟥 4-6 3P 🟥 5 AST 🟥 4 REB 🟥 3 BLK <a href="https://t.co/RZNq6fOpOG">pic.twitter.com/RZNq6fOpOG</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1811942641644503138?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2024</a></blockquote>

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Dalton Knecht, Los Angeles Lakers
Over three summer league games since the California Classic, Knecht has looked like the Lakers&rsquo; best player and continued to do so in Vegas. The 23-year-old shot the ball particularly well and looked confident in taking catch-and-shoot jumpers as well as some on-ball creation at times.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Dalton Knecht despite the loss: 🟨 25 PTS 🟨 9-18 FG 🟨 5-11 3P 🟨 6 REB 🟨 4 AST <a href="https://t.co/J928gQBS1U">pic.twitter.com/J928gQBS1U</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1811943377371623610?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2024</a></blockquote>

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Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks and Alex Sarr, Washington Wizards
The top 2 picks in this year&rsquo;s draft went on a duel with Sarr and the Wizards coming out on top to down Risacher on the Hawks. The French duo both showed great potential on both sides of the floor which explains why they were picked where they were picked in the draft: the talent is clearly there.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Zaccharie Risacher tonight: 🟥 18 PTS 🟥 7-16 FG 🟥 3-9 3P 🟥 5 REB 🟥 2 AST <a href="https://t.co/Rw198OUtv0">pic.twitter.com/Rw198OUtv0</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1811985256419065994?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2024</a></blockquote>

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Alex Sarr NBA Summer League Debut: ◻️ 12 PTS ◻️ 7 REB ◻️ 4 AST ◻️ 4 BLK (‼️) A young defensive juggernaut for the Wizards 🔒 <a href="https://t.co/DdAj3naXZ9">pic.twitter.com/DdAj3naXZ9</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1811986265841295766?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2024</a>
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Jordan Miller, Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers&rsquo; second-round selection in last year&rsquo;s draft, Miller went off with a 30-bomb against the Denver Nuggets to lead LA to the win. He went 6-10 from three and 8-8 from the FT line, which was impressive from a player who played mostly in the G-League the past season. With Paul George&rsquo;s departure, Miller could have a real chance of fighting for a rotation spot if he continues racking up performances like these.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Jordan Miller WENT OFF tonight: 🟦 36 PTS 🟦 11-18 FG 🟦 6-10 3P 🟦 8-8 FT A masterclass performance by the 48th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft 🤯<a href="https://t.co/aWuzdriUdE">pic.twitter.com/aWuzdriUdE</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1811986702832926912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2024</a></blockquote>

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The 2024 NBA Las Vegas Summer League is officially underway with the league’s young stars putting their games to the test.

2024 NBA Summer League: Day 1 Standouts

On Friday night in Cleveland, Caitlin Clark and Iowa defeated Paige Bueckers 71-69 to advance to the national title game against undefeated South Carolina &ndash; but not without some late-game drama.
With Iowa just leading by one 70-69 with 9 seconds left, UConn had possession for the final shot in the game. Out of the timeout, the Huskies tried to run a split action for Bueckers with Aaliyah Edwards screening and Nika Muhl passing the ball. As the screen was set with Bueckers veering back towards Muhl to receive the pass and get ready to shoot, Hawkeyes guard Gabbie Marshall fought over the screen by Edwards which ended up with the play getting called for an offensive foul for setting an illegal screen with just around 3 seconds left in the game.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
OFFENSIVE FOUL OR NOT? 🤔<a href="https://t.co/rxB7d3Lydk">pic.twitter.com/rxB7d3Lydk</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1776457695568216295?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2024</a></blockquote>
It was a questionable foul call, to say the least &ndash; sparking a debate each with contrasting sides to tell.
It set the internet ablaze and everyone was talking about it. Notable NBA and WNBA stars each chimed in on X with their thoughts on the questionable call, citing how the players should decide the outcome of the game with their plays whether it be good or bad rather than laying it up for the referees to decide.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NAAAAAHHHHHH!!! I ain&rsquo;t rolling with that call.
&mdash; LeBron James (@KingJames) <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1776451983047856248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2024</a></blockquote>

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
To call that on a game deciding play is so wrong WOW
&mdash; Kelsey Plum (@Kelseyplum10) <a href="https://twitter.com/Kelseyplum10/status/1776452745492414682?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2024</a></blockquote>

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SportsCenter host Scott Van Pelt and ESPN Women&rsquo;s Basketball analyst Andraya Carter didn&rsquo;t agree with the call either.
&ldquo;I hated the call. You&rsquo;ve got to give Gabbie Marshall credit for trying to fight over the screen. That&rsquo;s what drew the refs&rsquo; attention in,&rdquo; Carter said on SportsCenter after the game. &ldquo;But to me, now that final play it&rsquo;s not about Iowa&rsquo;s defense. It&rsquo;s about the call the referee made. There was a slight lean, maybe Aaliyah Edwards&rsquo; elbow was slightly out. But to be honest the calls were even for both sides. There were missed calls for Iowa. There were missed contacts for UConn. To make that call at the very end of the game &ndash; to me, it took away the opportunity for players to make plays. &hellip; To be honest, that call sucked.&rdquo;
WNBA legends Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird, who had their ESPN segment &lsquo;The Bird and Taurasi Show&rsquo; grace the Final Four, also shared their thoughts in real-time with UConn legend Breanna Stewart while commentating and watching the game live.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
3 uconn huskies react to the 'offensive foul' <a href="https://t.co/wFWCbVYTMG">pic.twitter.com/wFWCbVYTMG</a>
&mdash; jaiden (@steph_turkey) <a href="https://twitter.com/steph_turkey/status/1776454140962697606?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2024</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;Oh my god,&rdquo; expressed a visibly disappointed Taurasi. &ldquo;Wow, what an unfortunate time to call an offensive foul. Just know how to ruin the game &ndash; oh my god that&rsquo;s terrible. It didn&rsquo;t even get her open &ndash; that&rsquo;s a tough play. We always talk about letting the players decide the game, especially in a benign call like that. It&rsquo;s just tough to end the game like that.&rdquo;
Legendary coach Geno Auriemma could not hide his disappointment as well in the post-game conference, saying UConn maybe should just get better at not setting illegal screens. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s probably an illegal screen call you could make on every single possession, and I just know there were three or four called on us &ndash; and I don&rsquo;t think any were called on them.&rdquo;
Clark and Final Four hero Hannah Stuelke &ndash; who played perhaps the best game of her life by scoring 23 points &ndash; thought their teammate Marshall did a good job of fighting over the screen, praising how she has been one of the nation&rsquo;s best defenders.
&ldquo;Gabbie is great in those situations. She always comes up with big plays, a block, or whatever,&rdquo; Stuelke said. &ldquo;You always see it time and time again, [Marshall] does not get enough credit for what she does,&rdquo; Clark added. &ldquo;She guards one of the best players in the country and it challenges her quite a bit. Paige had a great game but I thought Gabbie just played great defense on her. Even when Paige made some tough baskets, Gabbie just responded and kept going up there and guarded her.&rdquo;
Despite the tough loss, Bueckers took the high road and remained a positive attitude after what transpired late in the game.
"Players play and players decide the game. Everybody can make a big deal out of one single play but one single play doesn&rsquo;t win or lose a basketball game," Bueckers admitted. "... You can look at one play and say oh that killed us or that hurt us. We should have done a better job, I should have done a better job making sure didn&rsquo;t leave the game up to that."

Iowa defeated UConn 71-69 to advance to the national title game against undefeated South Carolina, but not without late-game drama.

Women's Final Four: Late phantom call mars Iowa-UConn ending

Anthony Edwards didn&rsquo;t mince any words when he declared his Minnesota Timberwolves would be a top-three seed in the Western Conference this season.
The Timberwolves&rsquo; young superstar guard shared in a postgame interview following their win vs the Golden State Warriors how he said to his American teammates at the FIBA World Cup in Manila last year that Minnesota would be in the top three teams in the West.&nbsp;
Edwards also mentioned a couple of other bold opinions on each of their places in the standings come the season &ndash; which some of them disagreed on &ndash; but he was &lsquo;cool&rsquo; with it.
&ldquo;I told them we&rsquo;re going to be top three in the West and they were like, &lsquo;Nah, y&rsquo;all going to be in the play-in again, it&rsquo;s cool,&rdquo; Edwards said.
Sure enough, Edwards has backed what he said back then with the Timberwolves being currently the 3rd seed in the West with a 49-22 record. They even had the West&rsquo;s best record for three months until the Nuggets and the Thunder surpassed them.
Edwards continued. &ldquo;I actually told them that Orlando was going to be in the playoffs. I told them that Tyrese [Haliburton] would be in the play-in game. I told them that New York would be super good.
Edwards got it right as Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers continue to survive the Eastern Conference playoff race (currently the 6th-seeded team with a 41-32 record).&nbsp;
The Orlando Magic, who Edwards also mentioned would be in the playoffs, have already clinched a playoff spot and are fighting with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New York Knicks for 3rd-5th spots in the East. The Knicks have also been one of the best teams in the NBA despite having Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson out for the past two months behind their all-star point guard Jalen Brunson.

Anthony Edwards declared his Minnesota Timberwolves would be a top-three seed in the Western Conference this season.

Anthony Edwards told Team USA teammates Wolves would be a top-3 seed

Two nights ago, the Phoenix Suns did something they have failed to do all season long &ndash; close out a game and win in the fourth quarter in a thrilling comeback victory over the Sacramento Kings.
The Suns, who already lost nine games this season in fourth quarters, are dead last in fourth-quarter scoring at just 24.6 points per game. They are also getting outscored by 3.2 points &ndash; worst in the league.
Phoenix tends to shrink when they are pressured in tense moments despite having talented, all-world scorers in Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. This shouldn't be happening to an aspiring championship team &ndash; it is downright uncharacteristic and unacceptable.
Tuesday night&rsquo;s game against the Kings looked like it was heading toward another inexcusable loss in the fourth, as the Kings led by 18 points, 112-94, with 5:56 to go.
The Suns have been longing to fix their fourth-quarter woes, but to no avail, as a combination of injuries, bad rotations and lackluster effort on defense have held back the team.
So, how did the Suns come back and get the win? By going on a 32-8 run to end the game.
With the Suns down 109-89 in an important game against their division rivals, Durant blocked a Malik Monk floater off a pick-and-roll, passed it out and found Chimezie Metu leaking out for an easy transition layup. The next possession, Josh Okogie made an extraordinary play that fueled the Suns&rsquo; furious comeback. On an island vs. Monk, Okogie stayed with him after a crossover and hustled back to block a floater, and it led to a wide-open transition trey by Grayson Allen that cut the lead to 17.&nbsp;
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/wqqk7c?quality=highest" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
From that point on, players started doubling down on defense &ndash; chasing blocks instead of standing around and getting beat on defense. Even Booker and Beal, who aren't known for their defense, were fighting over screens and running back in transition with a concerted effort.
Over the next five minutes, the Suns scored 25 points to the Kings' 4 with the following series of buckets:
Beal driving layup.&nbsp;
Allen three.&nbsp;
Durant dunk.&nbsp;
Durant three.&nbsp;
Beal dunk.&nbsp;
Durant three.
Gordon three.&nbsp;
Gordon three.&nbsp;
Durant makes 2 free throws.
Durant makes 2 free throws.
By the end of the fourth quarter, the Suns outscored the Kings 35-21. Phoenix had finally exorcised their fourth-quarter demons.
The Big Three of Durant, Booker and Beal are finding their groove and offensively, their potential is off the charts. But their effort on defense is what will allow them to contend for a championship.
The Suns followed up that win over Sacramento with another impressive effort, blowing out the New Orleans Pelicans (who have surged to fifth place in the Western Conference). 
Booker had a spectacular performance, dropping 52 points to pull the Suns closer in the standings. Phoenix currently holds the No. 8 seed in the West with a 23-18 record, but are now right behind Sacramento (23-18, seventh), Dallas (24-18, sixth) and New Orleans (25-18, fifth), as all four teams are now tied in the loss column.
Over the next few games, the Suns will go up against the Mavericks before going on a road trip out East. This stretch of games could be crucial down the road considering how close the standings are as of now.
 Their best basketball is still ahead of them, and perhaps this will go down as the turning point of their season.

The Suns finally exorcised their fourth-quarter demons in their recent win over the Kings. Could it be a turning point of their season?

Is this the turning point of the Phoenix Suns' up-and-down season?

After a long four-month offseason, the 2023-24 NBA season officially kicks off on October 24. Preseason action is currently underway, with teams evaluating their roster and getting ready for the start of the regular season.
There were a few roster rule changes of note this offseason that were introduced as part of the new CBA. Now, each team can sign up to three two-way players (up from two) who are able to play up to 50 games with their NBA team and spend the rest of their season in the G League. Also, offseason rosters were originally limited to 20 players but have since increased to 21.&nbsp;
Each team needs to be at 15 standard contracts prior to the start of the season, which means a few players on guaranteed deals will have to be cut prior to the season. While some teams have a pretty set roster, others (like the Oklahoma City Thunder) will be forced to part ways with talented players to reach their roster limit.&nbsp;
Looking at the Atlantic Division, let's see how each team&rsquo;s lineup is shaping up and what questions they may need to answer before the start of the season.
(This is part one of a six-part series, with more divisional previews coming soon).
<h1>BOSTON CELTICS</h1>
Outside of the top-six players, who will be the most reliable depth option?
After acquiring Jrue Holiday, the Boston Celtics may have the best top-six of any team in the league. While we can add the Holiday trade to their list of aggressive offseason transactions, their depth has taken somewhat of a step back.&nbsp;
They will have to replace four rotation players from last year&rsquo;s Conference Finals team with a few players who don&rsquo;t have much experience in playoff situations. Three players who should definitely see more minutes are Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet. Pritchard has played well on both ends of the floor when given an opportunity, notably shooting 40% from three-point range over his first three seasons. The Celtics rewarded him with a team-friendly extension that should see him take up about 5% of the salary cap over the next four years. Hauser has also been a stellar three-point shooter, knocking down 42% since coming into the league.&nbsp;
The frontcourt is probably the most notable weakness on the team&rsquo;s depth chart. Joe Mazzulla has expressed confidence that <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/2023/10/7/23907608/boston-celtics-depth-sam-hauser-luke-kornet-payton-pritchard-joe-mazzulla-blake-griffin-bus-one-boys" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kornet should be successful on both ends of the floor and will be their go-to backup center to start the season.</a> The preseason will be important in determining who else (i.e. Oshae Brissett, Jordan Walsh, Svi Mykhailiuk, etc.) may stand out for Mazzulla and get an opportunity for playing time behind Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis.&nbsp;
Roster Decisions
The Celtics have the least amount of players on guaranteed contracts in the league (10). However, their roster for opening night is likely set unless they want to open up flexibility to sign other veteran players or buyout candidates later this season. If they choose to cut someone, it would very likely be a player on a non-guaranteed deal. Mykhailiuk and Dalano Banton each have a partial $200,000 guarantee that increases to over $1,000,000 if they make the roster. Kornet, Wenyen Gabriel and Lamar Stevens all have non-guaranteed contracts.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 19 players (10 guaranteed, 2 partially guaranteed, 3 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 1 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Jrue Holiday, G/F Jaylen Brown, F Jayson Tatum, F/C Al Horford, F/C Kristaps Porzingis
Projected Rotation Players: G Derrick White, G Payton Pritchard, C Luke Kornet (non-guaranteed), F Sam Hauser, F Oshae Brissett
Projected Reserves: F Jordan Walsh, G/F Svi Mykhailiuk ($200K guaranteed), F Wenyen Gabriel (non-guaranteed), G Dalano Banton ($200K guaranteed), F Lamar Stevens (non-guaranteed)
Projected Two-Way Players: C Neemias Queta, G JD Davison, G Jay Scrubb (Injured)
Projected Roster Cuts: G DJ Steward (Exhibit-10)
<h1>BROOKLYN NETS</h1>
What is Ben Simmons' role?
Ben Simmons has only played 42 games since being acquired by the Nets in February 2022, dealing with physical and psychological hurdles that have made him somewhat of an afterthought. Head coach Jacque Vaughn has expressed confidence that Simmons is now 100% healthy and ready to contribute again at a high level.&nbsp;
He seems to be penciled in as the team&rsquo;s starting point guard, starting in the Nets&rsquo; first preseason game. Though it was just a small 14-minute sample size, Simmons looked a lot like his former All-Star self. Having not played since February 15, he looked athletic, aggressive and confident before sitting out the second half.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He attacked the rim, I think he played with pace, looked pretty natural out there getting up and down the floor, communicating with guys into the flow of the game,&rdquo; Vaughn said, <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/10/10/ben-simmons-passes-eye-test-in-nets-preseason-opener/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">praising his $38-million man</a>. &ldquo;Really good to see.&rdquo;
Vaughn has some options when it comes to starting lineups where he could go smaller, with a backcourt of Simmons and Spencer Dinwiddie, or decide to start Dorian Finney-Smith and use Mikal Bridges as a big two-guard.&nbsp;
Roster Decisions
Darius Bazley, Harry Giles and Trendon Watford are all on non-guaranteed deals and are vying for the final two roster spots. The Nets also have an open two-way spot, which I believe they could potentially use on a player like <a href="https://www.si.com/college/tennessee/mens-basketball/kennedy-chandler-starring-in-nba-summer-league" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Summer League standout</a> and former Memphis Grizzlies second-rounder Kennedy Chandler.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 18 players (13 guaranteed, 3 non-guaranteed, 2 two-way)
Projected Starters: G/F Ben Simmons, G Spencer Dinwiddie, F Mikal Bridges, F Cameron Johnson, C Nicolas Claxton
Projected Rotation Players: F Dorian Finney-Smith, F Royce O&rsquo;Neale, G Cameron Thomas, G Dennis Smith Jr., C Day&rsquo;Ron Sharpe
Projected Reserves: G/F Lonnie Walker IV, C Noah Clowney, F Dariq Whitehead, F Darius Bazley (Non-Guaranteed), C Harry Giles (Non-Guaranteed)
Projected Two-way Players: G Armoni Brooks, F Jalen Wilson, G Kennedy Chandler* (Projected Signing)
Projected Roster Cuts: F Trendon Watford (Non-Guaranteed)
<h1>NEW YORK KNICKS</h1>
Who will be the first option off the bench?
New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau has his fair share of options to headline his second unit. In his third year, Immanuel Quickley had his best season to date, finishing as the runner-up for the Sixth Man of the Year award behind Malcolm Brogdon. Quickley was the primary scorer for the second unit, but he shouldn&rsquo;t have to carry the entire load on offense with the addition of Donte DiVincenzo.&nbsp;
DiVincenzo impressed last season with the Golden State Warriors as a reliable bench shooter and should spot minutes for Quentin Grimes and R.J. Barrett when offensive pushes are needed. Josh Hart could also be the team&rsquo;s sixth man, just like he was during the Knicks&rsquo; playoff run. After being traded from Portland, Hart averaged 30 minutes per game despite coming off the bench most of the time. It is worth noting the Knicks-Villanova connection between Hart, DiVincenzo and Jalen Brunson, who should fit seamlessly together on the floor thanks to their pre-existing chemistry. While unlikely to be the first off the bench, Isaiah Hartenstein also deserves mention since he has been one of the league&rsquo;s better backup centers and could see more time if Mitchell Robinson gets in foul trouble. In terms of rotation issues, Thibodeau should see this as a good problem to have regardless of who he brings off the bench first.&nbsp;
Roster Decisions
The Knicks have three spots up for grabs between Ryan Arcidiacono, DaQuan Jeffries, Isaiah Roby and Duane Washington Jr. All are on non-guaranteed deals that won&rsquo;t be fully guaranteed until the league-wide guarantee date on January 10.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 21 players (12 guaranteed, 4 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 2 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Jalen Brunson, G Quentin Grimes, G/F R.J. Barrett, F Julius Randle, C Mitchell Robinson
Projected Rotation Players: G Josh Hart, G Immanuel Quickley, G Donte DiVincenzo, C Isaiah Hartenstein, G Miles McBride
Projected Reserves: G Evan Fournier, C Jericho Sims, F Isaiah Roby (non-guaranteed), G Ryan Arcidiacono (non-guaranteed), G/F DaQuan Jeffries (non-guaranteed)
Projected Two-way Players: F/C Nathan Knight, G/F Dylan Windler, F Jaylen Martin
Projected Roster Cuts: G Duane Washington Jr. (non-guaranteed), G Charlie Brown Jr. (Exhibit-10), F Jacob Toppin (Exhibit-10)
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<h1>PHILADELPHIA 76ERS</h1>
Will Tyrese Maxey become more of a creator and how can that adjust the rotation?
The Sixers&rsquo; ceiling is contingent on how much Tyrese Maxey can improve this season. Maxey hasn&rsquo;t needed to be the team&rsquo;s primary distributor since James Harden joined the team, allowing him to blossom into a reliable 20-PPG scorer. Regardless of whether Harden&rsquo;s trade situation is resolved, Maxey will need to become a better creator and distributor if he wants to take his game to the next level. Prior to Harden&rsquo;s arrival, Maxey had an impressive 4:1 assist-to-turnover ratio despite his small frame and risk-averse tendencies.&nbsp;
Interestingly, team president Daryl Morey has held off on giving Maxey an extension this offseason, electing to wait until next summer to pay his budding young guard. Maxey will likely demand near max-level money that could harm Philly&rsquo;s flexibility to go after star players next offseason. If he can improve his ball-handling and distribution tendencies, the Sixers&rsquo; offense should benefit tremendously, helping the offensive output of players like P.J. Tucker and Paul Reed and easing the reliance on De&rsquo;Anthony Melton and Patrick Beverley.
Roster Decisions
Two players will likely be fighting for the Sixers&rsquo; final roster spot. The team re-signed veteran Danny Green, who played for the team from 2020 to 2022, to a non-guaranteed deal. They also brought over young big Filip Petrusev, who was drafted by Philadelphia in 2021. Petrusev signed a multi-year deal that was partially guaranteed for $559,782 this season and non-guaranteed next year. Although unlikely, the 76ers could also elect to waive Montrezl Harrell despite his deal being fully guaranteed, as he should miss this season with a torn ACL.
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 21 players (14 guaranteed, 1 partially Guaranteed, 1 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 2 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Tyrese Maxey, G James Harden, F P.J. Tucker, F Tobias Harris, C Joel Embiid
Projected Rotation Players: G De&rsquo;Anthony Melton, G Patrick Beverley, F/C Paul Reed, F/G Kelly Oubre Jr., F Danuel House
Projected Reserves: C Mo Bamba, F Furkan Korkmaz, G Jaden Springer, G/F Danny Green (non-guaranteed), C Montrezl Harrell (injured)
Projected Two-way Players: G Terquavion Smith, G Ricky Council IV, F Azuolas Tubelis
Projected Roster Cuts: F/C Filip Petrusev ($559,782 guaranteed), G David Duke Jr. (Exhibit-10), G Javonte Smart (Exhibit-10)
<h1>TORONTO RAPTORS</h1>
What style does Darko Rajakovic bring to Toronto and who will benefit the most?
New coach Darko Rajakovic inherits an interesting Raptors team with plenty of talent, but they may be facing a crossroads in terms of how successful they can be as a group. Rajakovic is in his first NBA head coaching gig after three seasons as an assistant with the Grizzlies and is known around the league as a pick-and-roll guru.&nbsp;
The idea of the Raptors being a primary pick-and-roll team became less appealing when they were unable to retain Fred VanVleet in free agency, replacing him with a less reliable shooter in Dennis Schr&ouml;der. Instead, Rajakovic will likely rely on Schr&ouml;der and his newly paid center Jakob Poeltl for more ball movement and playmaking. Rajakovic compared Poeltl to Domantas Sabonis before the Raptors&rsquo; preseason win over the Sacramento Kings on October 9 and could use him in a similar role. If Poeltl can be 70% of what Sabonis was last season, it can be a huge boost to an inconsistent offense.
Roster Decisions
The Raptors have 15 players on guaranteed deals going into the season, but also carry Jeff Dowtin Jr. on a non-guaranteed deal. Dowtin played on a two-way contract with Toronto last season, appearing in 25 games. With the roster full, Dowtin is unlikely to make the regular-season roster but he has still <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/raptors/news/toronto-raptors-praise-jeff-dowtin-jr-as-roster-decisions-await" target="_blank" rel="noopener">impressed the coaching staff this preseason</a>. If any player is in danger of losing their roster spot to Dowtin, it would likely be former first-round pick Malachi Flynn. Dowtin&rsquo;s deal becomes guaranteed for $900,000 on October 21, four days before the team&rsquo;s season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves. I would expect the Raptors to make a decision on Dowtin before then.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 21 players (15 guaranteed, 1 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 2 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Dennis Schr&ouml;der, F/G Scottie Barnes, F OG Anunoby, F Pascal Siakam, C Jakob Poeltl
Projected Rotation Players: G Gary Trent Jr., F Precious Achiuwa, F/C Chris Boucher, F Jalen McDaniels, G/F Gradey Dick
Projected Reserves: F Thaddeus Young, G Malachi Flynn, F Otto Porter Jr., C Christian Koloko, G/F Garrett Temple
Projected Two-way Players: G/F Ron Harper Jr., G Markquis Nowell, G Javon Freeman-Liberty
Projected Roster Cuts: G Jeff Dowtin (non-guaranteed), F Mouhamadou Gueye (Exhibit-10), C Makur Maker (Exhibit-10)
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Blake Stern previews the Atlantic Division, breaking down each team's projected lineup and a burning question entering the season.

NBA Atlantic Division Preview: Burning questions, rotation projections

SlamBall co-founder Mason Gordon spoke to Alex Kennedy about the sport's return, the new season on ESPN and much more.

The return of SlamBall: Co-founder Mason Gordon discusses new season

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Everything from the history books to the way they&rsquo;ve played through most of the postseason suggests the Denver Nuggets are on the verge of capturing their first NBA title in 47 years in the league.
The goal now for Denver is to not let up against the Miami Heat on Monday in what will be the first title-clinching opportunity in franchise history.
&ldquo;My biggest concern going into any close-out game is human nature and fighting against that,&rdquo; coach Michael Malone said Sunday after practice. &ldquo;Most teams, when you&rsquo;re up 3-1, they come up for air.&rdquo;
Malone&rsquo;s mission to keep the Nuggets thinking about hoops, not that trophy, could be helped by the fact that Miami&rsquo;s only win in this series came a week ago in Denver. Also, the Heat have won seven road games during the postseason and are 2-0 when they&rsquo;ve faced elimination &mdash; against Chicago in the play-in tournament and at Boston in Game 7 of the conference finals.
When the teams left Denver a week ago, the series was tied at 1 and Malone was grilling the Nuggets over effort after a 111-108 loss. Now that it&rsquo;s 3-1, after two double-digit wins in Miami, it&rsquo;s clear Nikola Jokic and Co., received the message.
On Sunday, the coach tapped into his own team&rsquo;s recent history &mdash; the Nuggets overcame 3-1 deficits twice to win two series in the bubble in 2020 &mdash; to emphasize that this series isn&rsquo;t over yet.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been down 3-1. We&rsquo;ve come back and won. We know anything is possible,&rdquo; Malone said.
Nobody needed to convince the Heat of that.
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-75 apnews_article_midarticle_2" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">
Coach Erik Spoelstra called his team &ldquo;a very stubborn and defiant group.&rdquo; And when asked about the confidence the Heat players had in each other, even after putting themselves in what has historically been a near-impossible situation, Jimmy Butler said: &ldquo;At an all-time high.&rdquo;
Only one of 36 teams that have fallen behind 3-1 in the history of the finals has come back to hoist the Larry O&rsquo;Brien Trophy. That was the 2016 Cavaliers, led by LeBron James, who trailed Golden State 3-1 before running off three straight, including the finale in Oakland in a game that goes down as one of the best in finals history.
The 1993 Suns and 1998 Jazz were down 3-1 and both managed to win Game 5 in Chicago. In both instances, Michael Jordan and the Bulls wrapped up the series in Game 6s on the road.
Among the few hints revealed about Xs and Os during these day-before news conferences was the effectiveness of Denver&rsquo;s improving D around the 3-point line. Malone tore into his team after Miami made 17 3-pointers in Game 2, many of them unguarded after the Heat exploited confusion in the Nuggets&rsquo; switching defense.
Miami made 11 3s in&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-finals-2023-heat-nuggets-f15a5273ea2e05117142ee65953284c2">Game 3</a>&nbsp;(when the Nuggets got triple-doubles from both Jokic and Jamal Murray) then only eight in&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-finals-2023-heat-nuggets-b0f83f7baccd425dbf8aba440e3e210c">Game 4</a>&nbsp;(when Aaron Gordon showed off the team&rsquo;s depth by leading the team with 27 points).
&ldquo;You have to have an aggressive mindset to be an effective defensive team,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;But if you don&rsquo;t have communication and discipline to go along with that, I think you&rsquo;re going to be missing some really key components.&rdquo;
Spoelstra said Denver&rsquo;s shift in defense &mdash; having players fight through picks instead of switching on the perimeter &mdash; did, in fact, make a difference. Still, he insisted, it&rsquo;s nothing Miami hasn&rsquo;t seen a hundred times by now.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s what the deal is,&rdquo; Spoelstra said. &ldquo;They are trying to take away certain things. We are trying to get to certain things. (It&rsquo;s about) how can you get to it and how can you get to it on your terms.&rdquo;
Spoelstra offered no clues regarding the recurring mystery in this series &mdash; whether 20-point-a-game scorer Tyler Herro might be returning from a broken hand.
&ldquo;No new update,&rdquo; Spoelstra said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s doing another contact workout today. I probably won&rsquo;t have anything for you tomorrow morning.&rdquo;
Even with all their focus on unfinished business on the court, the Nuggets front office spent the weekend looking toward the future. ESPN reported&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/37826075/sources-nuggets-get-package-picks-deal-thunder" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">an under-the-radar trade</a>&nbsp;involving draft picks, in which Denver gave up a protected 2029 first-rounder in exchange for one of Oklahoma City&rsquo;s first-rounders in 2024.
It was a subtle acknowledgment that the Nuggets, with Jokic, Murray, Gordon and Michael Porter Jr., all signed to big contracts, are looking at adding affordable talent sooner rather than later in an effort to keep their current championship window open.
Never in their history &mdash; which dates back to the founding of the ABA in 1967, then their move to the NBA nine years after that &mdash; has anyone on the Nuggets been caught thinking about multiple titles, let alone one.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just nice to see us be a big family and understand what it takes to win,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;But yeah, it&rsquo;s been a journey, a lot of fun. We have got more work to do.&rdquo;
</div>

The Denver Nuggets are on the verge of capturing their first NBA title in 47 years in the league. They just need to win one more game.

One win away from first title, Nuggets try to avoid letdown

MIAMI (AP) &mdash; Maybe Kevin Garnett was right. Maybe,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZYPzhBf0mc" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">as he screamed in celebration</a>&nbsp;of Boston&rsquo;s 2008 NBA championship, anything truly is possible.
Even the impossible.
The Celtics are halfway to history, and that alone has gotten them entry into a very small club. Of the first 150 teams that trailed a best-of-seven series 3-0 in NBA history, just 14 &mdash; 9.3% &mdash; found a way to extend the matchup to Game 6. None of them have won the series, and most are usually eliminated by now.
Not the Celtics. They have cut the deficit in the Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat to 3-2, simultaneously trailing the series yet seeming to have all the momentum going into Game 6 in Miami on Saturday night.
&ldquo;Obviously, we didn&rsquo;t imagine being in this position, being down 3-0, but when adversity hits, you get to see like what a team is really made of,&rdquo; Celtics forward Jaylen Brown said. &ldquo;I mean, it couldn&rsquo;t get no worse than being down 3-0, but we didn&rsquo;t look around, we didn&rsquo;t go in separate directions. We stayed together. We doubled down on what we&rsquo;re good at on defense, and now I think it&rsquo;s a series.&rdquo;
Only three teams have gone from down 3-0 to tied 3-3; the Celtics could be the fourth with a win on Saturday. No NBA team has ever fully escaped the 3-0 hole, but a win on Saturday would give Boston a chance to change that in Game 7 &mdash; which would be Monday on its home floor.
&ldquo;One of our assistants put it in great perspective: The seasons are like nine months long, and we just had a bad week,&rdquo; Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. &ldquo;Sometimes you have a bad week at work. We obviously didn&rsquo;t pick the best time to have a bad week, but we did, and we&rsquo;re sticking together and fighting like hell to keep it alive.&rdquo;
Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets are waiting for an opponent. If Boston wins the series, the Nuggets will visit the Celtics for Game 1 of the NBA Finals. If Miami wins the East, the Heat are headed to Denver for Game 1. Either way, the title series starts June 1, somewhere.
&ldquo;We have to shore up who we are and address the areas that we have not been maybe good enough or areas that we can clean up,&rdquo; Nuggets coach Michael Malone said Friday, after the team&rsquo;s first real practice since sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers for the Western Conference title. &ldquo;But it&rsquo;s really hard to keep your rhythm when you&rsquo;re not playing NBA games.&rdquo;
The Heat had a nine-point lead in the third quarter of Game 4, in position to perhaps win in a sweep. The lead was gone 2-1/2 minutes later and the Celtics haven&rsquo;t trailed since.&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/celtics-heat-eastern-conference-2023-nba-playoffs-5e85ae90fa8d41cb67bdde88dd142082">An 18-0 run in Game 4</a>&nbsp;put Boston on top of that game for good, a 12-0 run by the Celtics later in that game ended all doubt, and&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/heat-celtics-nba-playoffs-2023-6a8a1e06d6defdd571e45f76654418ba">then they started Game 5</a>&nbsp;with a 20-5 burst.
Add that all up, and from the start of the third-quarter run in Game 4 to the end of the start-of-game spurt in Game 5, the Celtics outscored the Heat 84-43 in a span of 27 minutes.
&ldquo;The last two games are not who we are. It just happened to be that way,&rdquo; Heat forward Jimmy Butler said. &ldquo;We stopped playing defense halfway because we didn&rsquo;t make shots that we want to make. But that&rsquo;s easily correctable. You just have to come out and play harder from the jump. Like I always say, it&rsquo;s going to be all smiles and we are going to keep it very, very, very consistent, knowing that we are going to win next game.&rdquo;
At least the confidence isn&rsquo;t ailing. Everything else is.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra flatly shot down the notion that Miami has an excuse for the way it played in Game 5 &mdash; &ldquo;there&rsquo;s no excuses. Not at all,&rdquo; he insisted &mdash; even though the training room is as crowded as a scrum for a loose ball under a basket right now. The Heat have been shorthanded in the backcourt for the entirety of the playoffs after injuries to shooting guards Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo, plus they didn&rsquo;t have starting guard Gabe Vincent for Game 5 and watched Kyle Lowry play through some sort of hand issue.
Miami&rsquo;s starters were outscored 95-44 in Game 5, and since the start of Boston&rsquo;s comeback-sparking burst in Game 4 the Heat have been outscored 75-33 from 3-point range, allowed the Celtics to shoot 54% from the field, 44% from 3-point range while committing 26 turnovers to Boston&rsquo;s 12.
Pick a number. They&rsquo;re all bad for the Heat, except the one that matters most &mdash; 3-2, the series score that means Miami is still only one win from capping its own improbable run of being a No. 8 seed that found its way into the NBA Finals.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a competitive series,&rdquo; Spoelstra said. &ldquo;You always expect things to be challenging in the conference finals. One game doesn&rsquo;t lead to the next game. &hellip; We beat them by whatever in Game 3. It just doesn&rsquo;t matter. It&rsquo;s about collectively preparing and putting together a great game. We&rsquo;ll play much better on Saturday. That&rsquo;s all we just have to focus on right now.&rdquo;

Of the first 150 teams that trailed a best-of-seven series 3-0 in NBA history, just 14 found a way to extend the matchup to Game 6.

Heat still lead East finals, but Celtics roaring back with eye on history

The Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets are each one win away from the NBA Finals.&nbsp;
That means the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are each trying to do something that has never been done in NBA history: come back from an 0-3 deficit. 
Teams that trailed 0-3 in the NBA playoffs have a 0-149 record all-time.
Here&rsquo;s a look at what the Celtics and Lakers are saying with their season on the line entering Game 4.
BOSTON CELTICS
The Celtics haven&rsquo;t looked like themselves during the Eastern Conference Finals.&nbsp;
After blowing double-digit leads in Games 1 and 2, they were blown out 128-102 by the Heat in Sunday&rsquo;s must-win Game 3. How will the team respond now that they&rsquo;re facing elimination on Tuesday night?
JAYSON TATUM: &ldquo;As tough as it is, we've just got to try to move on. Prepare, get ready, practice, film and stuff for tomorrow. Obviously, we're in a tough position, but we've just got to have some pride, bounce back and just be better come Tuesday. &hellip; Definitely [need to] play better than we did tonight and have some pride, obviously, and believe that we've just got to win on Tuesday. That's just the message, the mentality that we have is: get a win on Tuesday. We'll figure the rest out from there.&rdquo;
AL HORFORD &ldquo;This is a part of our journey right now. And right now we're in a low low, and rightfully so, we're being counted out because we haven't been able to respond. But we're not out yet. It is 3-0. I know what it looks like. I think I saw the other day, [0-3 teams have a record of] 0-149 or something like that. We're not out yet. We're still kicking &ndash; one of four teams that are still kicking. &hellip; This year, we've been able to bounce back and figure it out. Our backs are against the wall now, so that's something that we have to do.&rdquo;&nbsp;
JAYLEN BROWN: &rdquo;I'm going to fight until the end. Try to get our guys ready for the next game, and we come out and we put our best foot forward. At the end of the day, that's what we've got to do, and that's just how I see it. The series isn't over yet. It's looking bad, but you come out, have some pride about yourself and put your best foot forward. &hellip; We've just got to come out and play basketball. Come out with a great mentality, come out and have some pride about yourself, come out and have some pride about who you're playing for, have some pride about whatever, and just come out and play basketball. I believe we can win the next one, so we've just got to come out and play.&rdquo;
JOE MAZZULLA: &ldquo;I think the most important thing is just sticking together, and then I have to be better. I've got to put them in better positions. I've got to get them ready to play. I have to have the game plan ready for us to be physical and to execute, and it's important that we stick together. &hellip; I think it starts with we've got to defend, we have to get stops, we have to execute. When you do not execute on the defensive end and they make shots, then it affects the way you play offense. We just have to put our identity into our defensive execution first.&rdquo;
AL HORFORD: &ldquo;We have to understand that our DNA, our core as a team, is on the defensive end. That's who we are, and that's something that we have to find if we want to come back and win this series.&rdquo;
JAYSON TATUM: &ldquo;I deleted Twitter from my phone to start the playoffs. Honestly, I haven't seen anything good, bad or indifferent since Game 1 against the Hawks. I'm certain after every game you win, you're the best player and the best team, and when you lose, you're not the star and the team is not good enough. I'm certain there will be some of that, but out of sight, out of mind. You don't see it, because that's not what's important. What's important is the guys in the locker room, teammates, coaches, and we're all in this together just trying to figure it out.&rdquo;
Game 4 between the Celtics and Heat is Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. ET on TNT.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_20499493.jpg" alt="" width="645" height="430" />
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
After the Lakers lost 10 of their first 12 games to start the season, their analytics department gave them a .3% chance of making the playoffs. One month ago, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham wrote &ldquo;.3% PLAYOFFS&rdquo; on a whiteboard in the locker room to remind the team that they&rsquo;ve already done the unthinkable once this season.&nbsp;
Now, the odds are stacked against them yet again as they trail 0-3 against the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals. This team spent the second half of the season clawing to keep their playoff hopes alive, and they&rsquo;re drawing on that experience now that their backs are against the wall.
But do LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Co. have what it takes to make NBA history? 
ANTHONY DAVIS: &ldquo;We never intend to pack it in. Obviously, as you see throughout the course of this season, we have always been a team to fight. We are resilient. Everyone keeps fighting 'til it's over. It's not over. They have to win another game. &hellip; [We were] 2-10, 13th place, climbing uphill basically all season to get to this point, and it's the same thing here. Obviously it's a steeper climb being down 0-3. But we are going to keep taking it one game at a time and try to get better and come out with a win on Monday.&rdquo;
AUSTIN REAVES: &ldquo;Our backs have been against the wall. I've spoke about it probably the last two months &ndash; maybe more than that &ndash; since the trade deadline, [we&rsquo;ve been] swinging, throwing punches to fight to get to this opportunity. We'll go watch film, and we can either come out Monday and go home or we can fight for another day. And with the group of guys that we've got, I know what that answer will be.&rdquo;
LEBRON JAMES: &ldquo;I mean, just got to get one. Just one at a time. Just focus on Game 4, and you know, that's all you can really think about. &hellip; Just get ready for Monday and just got to get one. It's a one-game series for us. Every game counts, obviously."
DARVIN HAM: &ldquo;I mean, I think the deficit is 3-0, not 4. So as long as they have not gotten to four yet, there's still hope. We're still alive. We just have to focus on winning one game.&rdquo;
ANTHONY DAVIS: &ldquo;Take it one game at a time. You know, come Monday, leave it out on the floor, and try to get a win. Take it to Game 5, Game 6, Game 7. That's all you can really do. &hellip; We&rsquo;ll look at the film and see where we can get better, especially late-game [on] both ends of the floor, and then get ready to line them up on Monday and try to keep the season alive."
LEBRON JAMES: "I still [believe]. It's time to go right back home and start to refuel and start the treatment process and recovery process, and get ready for Monday. My mindset is always locked in as if it's Game 1.&rdquo;
Game 4 between the Lakers and Nuggets is Monday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Here’s what the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are saying with their season on the line entering Game 4.

Can the Celtics or Lakers make NBA history by coming back from down 0-3?

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Jamal Murray scored 37 points, Nikola Jokic added 24 points and eight assists, and the Denver Nuggets rolled to a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals with a 119-108 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half against his former team for the top-seeded Nuggets, who have never been this close to the NBA Finals in 47 years in the league.
Denver blew a big early lead in Game 3, but made a decisive 13-0 run in the fourth quarter to snap the Lakers&rsquo; nine-game home winning streak since March 26, including seven straight victories since the regular season ended.
No team has rallied from a 3-0 playoff series deficit in NBA history. Game 4 is Monday night in Los Angeles.
Anthony Davis had 28 points and 18 rebounds for the seventh-seeded Lakers, who hadn&rsquo;t lost three straight games since early February. Los Angeles&rsquo; prolonged, desperate surge ever since the trade deadline has finally run out of steam against the powerhouse Nuggets, who have won five consecutive playoff games.
LeBron James had 23 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds for Los Angeles, hitting three 3-pointers after starting the series 0 for 13 from distance. Austin Reaves added 23 points and seven rebounds, but Rui Hachimura was the only other Lakers scorer to crack double figures with 13 points.
Jokic&rsquo;s streak of four consecutive triple-doubles ended in a fairly quiet game for the two-time MVP. But Murray scored 17 points in a dynamic first quarter following his 23-point fourth quarter two nights ago, and he had 30 points by halftime of Game 3.
Bruce Brown scored 15 points and hit a key 3-pointer down the stretch for the Nuggets before Jokic all but iced it on a 3-pointer with 3:17 to play.
The Lakers&rsquo; passionate fans turned out in force for the 17-time champion franchise&rsquo;s first conference finals games at home since 2010, the year of their last title. Los Angeles tried desperately to get back in the series, with James playing 43 minutes after spraining his left ankle in Game 2 on top of his already sore right foot.
But the Nuggets&rsquo; flight to the coast didn&rsquo;t cool off Murray in the slightest: After lighting up the Lakers to close Game 2, the Canadian guard made his first five shots in Game 3 and poured in 17 points in the first quarter &mdash; even while Jokic went scoreless for the second straight quarter.
Murray&rsquo;s fourth 3-pointer of the night made him 11 of 13 from the field for 26 points midway through the second quarter, scoring more than half of Denver&rsquo;s points at an unbelievable pace. Reaves and Davis kept the Lakers in it, with Reaves racking up 15 points, three assists and three rebounds in the second quarter alone.
Hachimura&rsquo;s 3-pointer early in the fourth gave the Lakers their first lead since the opening minutes, but the Nuggets took charge again in a rally highlighted by Brown&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 7:02 to play, after which he taunted the Lakers&rsquo; bench with Los Angeles&rsquo; own &ldquo;Freeze&rdquo; 3-point celebration.
D&rsquo;Angelo Russell had another rough game for the Lakers, scoring three points on 1-of-8 shooting in 20 minutes. Russell was the Lakers&rsquo; biggest addition in their trade deadline transformation, but the point guard has just 21 points in this three-game series.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Aaron Gordon had seven points in 32 minutes. ... Michael Porter Jr. had 14 points and 10 rebounds, capped by a 3-pointer in the final 90 seconds.
Lakers: Backup C Mo Bamba missed his ninth consecutive game with a sore left ankle. The team is hopeful Bamba can play at some point in this series. ... Fans near courtside included Jack Nicholson, Eddie Murphy, Denzel Washington, Jake Gyllenhaal, Andy Garcia, Dyan Cannon, Ken Jeong, Joel McHale, LA Kings captain Anze Kopitar and defenseman Drew Doughty, and Khalil Mack, Derwin James and Sebastian Joseph-Day from the Los Angeles Chargers&rsquo; defense.

The Denver Nuggets rolled to a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals with a 119-108 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.

Nuggets on brink of NBA Finals with 119-108 win over Lakers in Game 3

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) &mdash; In an empty gym on a small campus deserted for spring break, one of the NBA&rsquo;s top future prospects receives shooting guidance from coaches on Stephen Curry&rsquo;s training team.
Scoot Henderson goes through some of the same drills as the Golden State superstar himself &mdash; one-footed free throws, catch-and-shoots from around the perimeter, two dribbles between the legs then let it fly from the top of the 3-point arc.
On the other end of the court in the Laney College arena is Henderson&rsquo;s younger sister, Moochie, who has committed to play guard for Georgia State.
The Hendersons, teenagers and the youngest of seven children, are receiving a one-of-a-kind opportunity partnering with Curry&rsquo;s company, SC30 Inc., to gain support and guidance as the family develops its brand &mdash; on and off the court.
&ldquo;Just getting this early training and early knowledge from Steph mentoring me and the people around him, it&rsquo;s a blessing,&rdquo; Scoot Henderson said. &ldquo;Me just turning 19, just getting that knowledge early, it&rsquo;s really cool.&rdquo;
Curry is helping Henderson build his business model and will offer his resources to the rising star and his family as the point guard makes the transition to the next level. He finished his high school coursework more than 1 1/2 years early to play two seasons for the G League Ignite and has established himself as a projected top-three draft pick.
Curry&rsquo;s involvement includes opening his network to connect Henderson with shooting coaches, the two-time MVP&rsquo;s strength and conditioning team and others leading up to the NBA draft next month.
They spent some time getting to know each other in late March, when Scoot and Moochie went through a training session with Curry&rsquo;s coaches for a morning at Laney College.
What appeals to Curry beyond Henderson&rsquo;s talent, which makes him one of the most athletic point guards in the 2023 class, is the commitment to community he has demonstrated at home in Marietta, Georgia.
&ldquo;They&rsquo;ve developed a perspective on the blessings from the game of basketball and the doors that it&rsquo;s opened and the platform that you&rsquo;re given. The resources you have access to can all lead to a sense of purpose outside of just putting the ball in the basket,&rdquo; said Curry, whose&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-playoffs-2023-warriors-lakers-lebron-curry-470bae4da1526ce6b86be6b1bfb1b442">Warriors were eliminated Friday by the Lakers in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals</a>. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re obviously wise beyond their years on that front and understanding that you can do both.&rdquo;
Henderson is grateful he can lean on Curry, whose off-court work with children and aiding the less fortunate includes his Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation focused on fighting childhood hunger, supporting education and providing safe places for kids to be active.
Five years ago, Henderson&rsquo;s parents, Chris and Crystal, opened a&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.nextplay360.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">gym called Next Play 360</a>&nbsp;near their home to offer an inclusive space with an emphasis on academics, athletics, leadership and community outreach.
Henderson himself has helped plan holiday gift and food drives &mdash; aiding 75 families last year with the next goal being 360 families, then 3,600 and eventually 36,000 &mdash; among other projects, and he hopes to keep doing more.
The Hendersons partner with schools in Cobb County to identify those in need.
&ldquo;Helping my community strive, that was always the vision,&rdquo; Henderson said. &ldquo;If I was going up, my family was going up with me. That was the vision for all my siblings.&rdquo;
Moochie is also benefiting from having access to Curry&rsquo;s team of experts, acknowledging, &ldquo;Being a 17-year-old coming out here and getting this experience is really important.&rdquo;
The Hendersons realize how fortunate they are to be getting a head start thanks to Curry&rsquo;s resources.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s almost unreal, actually, Steph Curry is probably my favorite player in the world,&rdquo; said Chris, who has coached Moochie&rsquo;s teams teams for years. &ldquo;They benefit from it but I benefit, too. It&rsquo;s a blessing for my kids just to be a part of it.&rdquo;
They got connected through some of Curry&rsquo;s longtime colleagues who thought the two might make great partners given their shared commitment to balancing basketball and philanthropy.
&ldquo;To be a support system for that and how that&rsquo;s going to evolve over time, that&rsquo;s the exciting part and it reinvigorates another energy to what we&rsquo;re doing because you understand &mdash; I&rsquo;m the old guy &mdash; the next generation is about that life as well,&rdquo; Curry said.

Stephen Curry and his company, SC30 Inc., are providing support and guidance to top NBA prospect Scoot Henderson and his family.

Steph Curry offers support, resources to top NBA prospect Scoot Henderson

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Load management is a big topic across the NBA these days.
One great way to make sure players get rest in the playoffs is to end the series early.
The Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics all have that opportunity on Tuesday night when they host Game 5s with a 3-1 lead in the series.
&ldquo;Closeout games are always the hardest,&rdquo; Suns center Deandre Ayton said. &ldquo;We expect it&rsquo;s going to be a battle. We&rsquo;re just gearing up.&rdquo;
The Western Conference top-seed Nuggets already had one opportunity to end their series, but the feisty Timberwolves managed to extend it with a Game 4 win in overtime on Sunday.
&ldquo;We really wanted to come out and have a sweep under our belt. Didn&rsquo;t happen,&rdquo; Nuggets guard Jamal Murray said. &ldquo;They fought. They fought like hell, all game long. Even when we put a scare in their heart a little bit, they kept fighting, kept playing, and the crowd was into it.&rdquo;
The Suns-Los Angeles Clippers series has been shaped by Kawhi Leonard&rsquo;s knee injury. Leonard has missed the past two games with a sprained knee, which has helped tip the series in favor of Phoenix.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s definitely hurt. It&rsquo;s not load management where he&rsquo;s taking time off,&rdquo; Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s shown in the past that he&rsquo;s played through injuries in the playoffs and so if it&rsquo;s something he can&rsquo;t play through, then it has to be pretty serious.&rdquo;
L.A.&rsquo;s Paul George has been out since March 21 with the same injury as Leonard.
HAWKS AT CELTICS
Boston leads 3-1. Game 4, 7:30 p.m. EDT, TNT.
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: The Celtics have never lost a best-of-seven playoff series after building a 3-1 lead. They are 27-0 in those situations over their storied history.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: Jaylen Brown&rsquo;s facial wear. The Boston star had been using a protective mask since February, when he sustained a broken bone in his face. But he ditched the mask in the second quarter of Game 4 after making just 1 of 7 shots. He went 11 of 15 the rest of the way to finish with 31 points in a 129-121 victory. Presumably, he won&rsquo;t be wearing the mask anymore in these playoffs. &ldquo;As soon as I took it off, things started to turn around a little bit,&rdquo; Brown said.
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: Boston G Marcus Smart looked just fine in Game 4 after falling hard on his tailbone in the previous contest. He said they were times when his lower back tightened up, and he&rsquo;ll have to remain diligent in his treatment to make sure the pain doesn&rsquo;t keep him off the court. &ldquo;Throughout the game, it got a little tight on me. It flared up. But once I got it stretched out again, got it loose, got some heat on it, it was pretty good,&rdquo; Smart said.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: The Hawks. It looks like another brief playoff appearance unless they can pull of a win in Boston, and the challenge got even tougher when guard Dejounte Murray was suspended for Game 5 after bumping and verbally abusing an official after the end of Game 4. Murray is averaging 25.3 points in the series. Atlanta has lost five straight at TD Garden since its last victory on Feb. 17, 2021, including a pair of 13-point defeats in the first two games of this series. If the Hawks lose, it would be the second straight year they&rsquo;ve gone down in five games in the opening round and could signal major changes heading into the offseason.
TIMBERWOLVES AT NUGGETS
Denver leads 3-1. Game 5, 9 p.m. EDT, NBA TV.
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: The Nuggets closed the last 2&frac12; minutes of the fourth quarter of Game 4 on a tying 12-0 run, but the Timberwolves recovered with an 18-point overtime on 6-for-8 shooting for a 114-108 victory. It denied Denver a first playoff-series sweep in franchise history and keep the first-round matchup alive despite Nikola Jokic&rsquo;s playoff-career-high-tying 43 points.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: Anthony Edwards. Minnesota&rsquo;s All-Star guard has 129 points in four games, the second-most in the NBA playoffs behind Phoenix&rsquo;s Devin Booker (139). He delivered a wide array of clutch baskets down the stretch for the Wolves in Game 4, including a pull-up 3-pointer from the wing with 11.5 seconds left in overtime to push their lead to four. He&rsquo;s the first player in Wolves&rsquo; history with 100-plus points over three consecutive playoff games. Only LeBron James (eight) had more 30-plus-point playoff games before age 22 than Edwards does (five). Still, Edwards was aiming for a higher bar after his 12-for-27 shooting performance.
&ldquo;I played terrible, if you ask me,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I took three bad 3s, three terrible possessions, and I damn near shot us out the game.&rdquo;
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: Wolves sixth man Kyle Anderson was inadvertently struck by a stray arm from Edwards during a leap for a rebound late in the third quarter and did not return after suffering what the team announced as a left eye and facial contusion. Coach Chris Finch said Anderson went to see an eye specialist. ... Nuggets coach Mike Malone on Jokic&rsquo;s aggression with 12 free-throw attempts in Game 4 after zero in Game 3: &ldquo;He&rsquo;s banged up. He&rsquo;s playing hard.&rdquo;
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Jamal Murray. After scoring 40 points in Game 2, Denver&rsquo;s standout point guard missed 26 of 43 shots over the two games in Minnesota. He had 19 points in Game 4, with Nickeil Alexander-Walker frequently picking up his defense before half court and making him work hard for every shot, drive and pass.
CLIPPERS AT SUNS
Phoenix leads 3-1, Game 5, 10 p.m. EDT, TNT
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: The Suns took control of the series with two wins in Los Angeles and now return to Phoenix to try and close it out. The Suns have taken advantage of the absence of L.A. star Kawhi Leonard, who missed both Games 3 and 4 because of a sprained knee.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: Three-time All-Star Devin Booker is cooking for the Suns, averaging 34.8 points on 57.1% shooting. The 26-year-old isn&rsquo;t just scoring, he&rsquo;s averaging 5.5 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 1.3 blocks.
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: All eyes are on Leonard to see if he can return. The Suns have been without backup point guard Cam Payne, who hasn&rsquo;t played in the series because of a sore back.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Russell Westbrook. If Leonard can&rsquo;t play, the Clippers almost certainly have to have another massive game from Westbrook, who has played well in the series. He&rsquo;s improved his scoring total each game, rising from 9 points in Game 1 to 28 in Game 2, 30 in Game 3 and 37 in Game 4. L.A. might need a 40-spot from him on Tuesday to extend the series.

The Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics all have an opportunity to advance on Tuesday night when they host Game 5s.

Suns, Nuggets, Celtics can all advance with Game 5 wins

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; The Brooklyn Nets finished the same way without Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving as they did with them.
The Nets were&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/76ers-nets-embiid-nba-playoffs-2023-1af8f663fe3c8af10138dcf461762a9d">swept out the playoffs</a>, the first team sent home for the summer for the second straight year.
The team that took the floor against the Philadelphia 76ers struggled to score, couldn&rsquo;t rebound and is miles away from title contention. But that team probably won&rsquo;t be around next season.
Brooklyn got back plenty of draft picks in the trades of Durant, Irving and James Harden, and will have options to quickly get to a better place than they are now &mdash; or were with their superstars.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s not many teams, many organizations I think have ever blown up a superstar-studded group that possibly was in championship contention in one year and have the possibility of championship contention again the very next season,&rdquo; guard Spencer Dinwiddie said Sunday.
Only three teams own more first-round picks than the Nets between now and 2030, general manager Sean Marks said, giving them flexibility to draft players or package picks in a trade for an established star. He wouldn&rsquo;t predict a quick rise in the standings, but it can&rsquo;t be ruled out.
&ldquo;We have a young group here that is wanting to compete, so we&rsquo;re going to be going after it every year,&rdquo; Marks said.
It wasn&rsquo;t like this last summer, and Marks said the Nets have &ldquo;a bright pathway.&rdquo;
The Nets were as high as second in the Eastern Conference before Durant got hurt&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/miami-dolphins-heat-nba-sports-kevin-durant-20e5ed9c2ce3b02eaa075fde1cb8d751">in early January</a>. After&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-phoenix-suns-nba-sports-basketball-3932b34f477549895cce131490bec86d">Durant</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-lakers-new-york-knicks-dallas-mavericks-clippers-nba-ea90e45174274a917654448db9554dfc">Irving</a>&nbsp;were traded within days of each other in February, Brooklyn hung on to finish sixth.
With four new starters who were together only two months, the Nets knew they were fighting inexperience and a tough veteran team like Philadelphia in the postseason.
&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s part of the business and I think situations like we were put in this year prepare us for anything that can come up this summer, no matter what it is,&rdquo; said Cam Johnson, who will be a restricted free agent.
Dinwiddie was on the Nets team that lost to the 76ers in the first round in 2019, then watched as Brooklyn looked to rebuild by signing Durant and Irving. He came back to the organization from Dallas in February in the deal for Irving, just days before Durant was dealt to Phoenix in the deal that brought back Johnson and Mikal Bridges.
&ldquo;I think you&rsquo;re looking at a team that kind of mirrors a Milwaukee without Giannis. So if you think you can go get a Giannis, then are you probably a very, very good team at that point? Likely,&rdquo; Dinwiddie said of the current Nets structure. &ldquo;If you don&rsquo;t, you do have a bevy of draft picks and probably several guys that can net you more draft picks. So, I mean, really, they can go either route. And I mean, shoot they could also choose to stand pat and roll the dice.&rdquo;
Bridges, last year&rsquo;s runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year, showed star potential as the No. 1 scoring option in Brooklyn. Center Nic Claxton had by far his best season. Johnson looked like a keeper in his first season as a starter. Marks said Ben Simmons, shut down early again because of back problems, is expected to be ready by September.
They will certainly be joined by newcomers. After that, Claxton hopes the Nets can be stable for a time and let the next group find success.
&ldquo;Especially going into a playoff series, I mean teams have been together, they&rsquo;ve been in the trenches together for maybe five-plus years, and then you throw in a whole new team,&rdquo; Claxton said. &ldquo;But, not making no excuses, just it would be nice going forward if we could maybe just start to build something here.&rdquo;

The Nets were swept, but they have a nice core and plenty of draft picks from trading Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden.

Despite sweep, Nets can build quickly after Durant, Irving deals

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) &mdash; South Carolina and Notre Dame will open the next women&rsquo;s college basketball season in Paris, the schools announced Wednesday.
The Nov. 6 matchup will mark the first time an NCAA regular-season game has been played in the French capital.
Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley said she didn&rsquo;t hesitate when invited to take part. &ldquo;Playing Notre Dame in Paris is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for our student-athletes,&rdquo; she said.
South Carolina reached its third straight Final Four this past season and was undefeated until losing to Iowa 77-73 in the national semifinals.
Notre Dame advanced to the Sweet 16, where it lost to Maryland 76-59.
Fighting Irish coach Niele Ivey said the women&rsquo;s college game is on the rise and &ldquo;having this exposure will help grow the game on an international level.&rdquo;&nbsp;

The Nov. 6 matchup will mark the first time an NCAA regular-season game has been played in the French capital.

Gamecocks-Irish to open 2023-24 women’s basketball season in Paris

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Kawhi Leonard scored 27 points, Norman Powell added 23 and the Los Angeles Clippers solidified their hopes of avoiding the play-in game with a 136-125 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday.
Russell Westbrook had 20 points for the Clippers, who have won four of their last six and hold the fifth spot in the Western Conference.
Wins by LA and Minnesota on Saturday ensured the Clippers can finish no lower than seventh. Their best hope of avoiding the play-in game though is beating Phoenix on Sunday in what could be a preview of a first-round series.
While the Suns are expected to sit most of their starters, which they also did Friday night against the Los Angeles Lakers, coach Tyronn Lue said he will play everyone that he can.
&ldquo;I hope they sit all five guys. I&rsquo;ll take it however I can get it,&rdquo; Lue said. &ldquo;My main focus is doing what we have to do to get into the playoffs. It doesn&rsquo;t matter what seed.&rdquo;
The Clippers need a win in the final regular-season game to avoid landing in the play-in for the second straight season. They were the eighth seed last season and lost to Minnesota and New Orleans to miss the playoffs.
&ldquo;We have to win. That&rsquo;s the focus,&rdquo; Leonard said.
The Clippers would be assured of a top six seed if the Timberwolves beat the Pelicans on Sunday afternoon. A win would wrap up the fifth seed while a loss and Golden State win would drop them to sixth.
However, if the Pelicans win, the Clippers could fall into the seventh spot and host the play-in game on Tuesday with a loss. The only way they would avoid it in that scenario is if Portland beat Golden State and the Lakers defeated Utah.
&ldquo;The parity in the West is incredible this year. I&rsquo;ve seen some tough races, but this may be the toughest I&rsquo;ve seen. Just all the way down to today and tomorrow, guys need to win. It&rsquo;s some tough situations,&rdquo; Portland coach Chauncey Billups said. &ldquo;I hate that we are not participating in it, but there&rsquo;s been a lot of learning experiences this year because of that.&rdquo;
Kevin Knox II had 30 points, Shaedon Sharpe 26 and Trendon Watford 24 for the Trail Blazers, who have dropped three straight and eight of their last nine.
&ldquo;We played against a very desperate team. they are fighting and clawing for every win and they need it,&rdquo; Portland coach Chauncey Billups said. &ldquo;Our group came out and got it going. They made some adjustments in the second half when they needed to.&rdquo;
Portland led 70-64 at halftime before the Clippers went on a 14-2 run early in the third quarter to gain control.
The Trail Blazers rallied to get within 86-85 on a 3-pointer by Knox before the Clippers put it away for good with a 23-7 spurt.
Leonard had 13 points in the third quarter as the Clippers were 15 of 24 from the field, including eight 3-pointers.
&ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t a great first half because we didn&rsquo;t play the right way. That&rsquo;s why they came out and played like they did in the third quarter,&rdquo; Lue said.
Los Angeles&rsquo; largest lead was 19 in the fourth quarter.
TIP-INS
Trail Blazers: In the first half, Sharpe had 21 points on 8-for-12 shooting; while Watford added 18 while going 7 of 9. ... Shaquille Harrison had a career-high 11 assists.
Clippers: Ivica Zubac had 14 points and 10 rebounds for his 27th double-double, which is new career high in a season.
UP NEXT
Trail Blazers: Host Golden State Sunday in the season finale.
Clippers: Travel to Phoenix Sunday in what could be a first-round preview.

Kawhi Leonard scored 27 points, and the Clippers improved their odds of avoiding the play-in with a 136-125 win over the Blazers.

St. Ambrose Fighting Bees